Manipur NPF loses three, gains three

Dimapur, March 12: The Naga People's Front (NPF) has lost three of its sitting MLAs in the recently-concluded assembly elections in Manipur in which it had contested 16 seats. Commentators and voters at the grass root point to the distribution of tickets to the ‘wrong people’ by the party. L Dikho of Mao assembly constituency is the only sitting MLA of the NPF who was re-elected. He defeated nearest rival Woba Joram of the BJP by a big margin of 15, 414 votes. In the Ukhrul assembly constituency, MLA Samuel Risom could garner only 8, 883 and was placed third in the final tally. Alfred Kanngam Arthur of the INC won the Ukhrul seat by a margin of just 296 votes by defeating his nearest rival Somatai Shaiza of the BJP. In the Chandel assembly constituency, ST Victor Nunghlung of the NPF was able to get only 1, 574 placing him 5th in the race. The Naga votes in Chandel constituency instead went mostly to TS Warngam, an Independent candidate who had the blessing of most of the Naga organisations but lost to Letpao Haokip of the NPP by 2, 125 votes. Another MLA of the NPF who lost the seat is Dr. V. Alexander Pao from the Korong assembly constituency. He finished fifth. D.D. Thaisii of the Indian National Congress won the seat defeating his nearest rival R. Yuh Jonathan Tao of the BJP by a margin of 4, 293. Awangbow Newmai, the president of the NPF Manipur state unit, is the new face of the NPF. He won the Tamie seat by a margin of just 747 votes defeating Z. Kikhonbou Newmai of the BJP. Earlier, Awangbow had contested in the same constituency in 2012 on a Manipur State Congress ticket but without success. The Phungyar assembly constituency in the newly-created Kamjong district saw a total reversal much against Ibobi's calculation where a new face of the NPF, K Leishiyo, was elected defeating his nearest rival from the BJP. The MLA of the INC, Victor Keishing, came third. The other new face in the NPF is from the Chingai assembly constituency that has elected Khashim Vashum, who won the seat defeating Sword Vashum of the BJP by a margin of 7, 650 votes. However, even though the NPF was unable to increase its tally, the party legislators are set to become kingmakers in a BJP-led government with speculations of at least two cabinet berths for the party MLAs.