As counting is underway for Assembly elections in Manipur, early numbers indicate that BJP is leading in 19 seats, while the Congress is leading in 9 assembly constituencies.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh is currently leading by 2,598 votes in the Heingang constituency.

All eyes are on the results of Assembly elections in Manipur where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks to retain power, meanwhile the Congress too remains hopeful of a win. Assembly polls in Manipur were conducted in two phases on February 28 and March 5.

BJP is pitted against the Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance comprising the Congress, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Janata Dal (Secular). While the two major parties are expected to be the main contenders, others parties including the National People’s Party (NPP), Naga People’s Front (NPF) and JD(U) are likely to play crucial roles in the event of a coalition with no single party securing a majority.

Earlier, the exit polls in Manipur indicates that the ruling BJP would either emerge as the single largest party or cross the halfway mark.

It was the Congress who had emerged as the single largest party in the state in 2017. The 2017 Assembly polls in Manipur marked a crucial moment in the shift in power dynamics in the northeast. Though the Congress had won 28 seats in the 60-member house, the BJP with 21 seats got the support of four MLAs each from the Naga People’s Front and the National People’s Party and one from the Lok Janshakti Party and an independent to reach the magic figure of 31. Most polls predicted that the NPP and NPF could repeat or better their 2017 performance.

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