With disagreement brewing between the ruling allies months ahead of the elections to the 60-seat Manipur Assembly, hectic political and administrative activities have begun in the BJP-ruled State with both political parties and Election Commission readying themselves for the electoral battle.
Manipur is one of the four BJP-ruled States in the northeastern region comprising eight states. The others are Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, while the allies of the saffron party are ruling in the remaining northeastern states.
BJP President J.P. Nadda will visit Manipur on Saturday and Sunday and hold a series of meetings with the party leaders and BJP allies -- the National People's Party (NPP) and the Naga People's Front (NPF).
On October 2, Nadda had held a meeting with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, state minister Biswajit Singh, and state party chief A. Sharda Devi in Delhi.
Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national General Secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and party spokesperson Sambit Patra were also present in the meeting.
According to BJP sources in Imphal, Singh and other state leaders have apprised the central leaders about the current political situation in the state.
The sources told IANS that the central leaders also asked the Chief Minister and other party leaders to prepare a roadmap for winning the upcoming Assembly polls, which are expected to be held along with the elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa early next year.
In a setback for the ruling alliance, the NPP led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma recently announced that it would go alone in the polls, which is expected to be held in February-March before the end of the Manipur Assembly terms on March 19.