Six years ago, the second-most powerful Congress leader in Manipur defected to the BJP just as the saffron party was taking its baby steps in the state. The rest, as they say, is history.
Nongthombam Biren Singh retained his Heingang seat on Thursday by polling a massive 78.54 per cent of the votes and defeating his nearest rival by more than 18,000 votes. But his real challenge may lie ahead as the BJP’s relationship with its allies, especially the National People’s Party (NPP), has often come under strain in recent years, and it may need their help to cross the majority mark of 30.
In 2016, Biren became the first BJP chief minister of the northeastern state after a few days of uncertainty but had his work cut out for him. The state was reeling from the effects of a decades-long insurgency; extrajudicial killings under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, were rampant; and the gap between the hills (which are tribal-majority areas) and the valley (where the Hindu Meitei community to which the CM belongs is dominant) was widening.
At the outset, the Biren administration set out to bridge this gap through a government-sponsored festival in the Tangkhul-dominated Ukhrul hills and the “Go To Hills” initiative to bring governance to the hills. While critics claim that no real development took place, the initiatives went a long way towards changing the perception of a government that was often seen as “anti-tribal”.
Across the board, Biren’s “accessibility” is acknowledged. His reach, especially when it comes to influential civil society groups in Manipur, is far longer than any other politician and that has helped manage many crises. This is evident in the absence of statewide bandhs and economic blockades in the last five years.
In an interview, the CM told The Indian Express that his past as a footballer and a journalist shaped his politics. In 2001, Biren sold his newspaper Naharolgi Thoudang (Responsibilities of Youth) for Rs 2 lakh. He used the money to contest his first election, as an independent, the following year from Heingang, which he has won since then. He won on a Congres ticket in 2007 but left the party ahead of the 2016 elections after falling out with then CM Okram Ibobi Singh.
