Imphal/New Delhi: The final and second phase of assembly elections for 22 assembly seats spread over ten districts in BJP-ruled Manipur has begun on March 5, Saturday.
Voting is being held at 1247 polling stations spread across three valleys and seven hill districts. EC officials said tight security measures have been placed for the second phase polls in Manipur in Delhi.
An overwhelming number of tribal voters, Nagas and Kukis, will decide the fate of 92 candidates, including two women, in today's polls. Various Kuki organisations have openly pledged support to the BJP, which could be decisive.
The Naga voters would want a solution to the protracted insurgency issue that started in the 1940s. But certain things do change in the context of Manipur.
In the 2018 provincial polls in Nagaland, the BJP had the best strike rate winning 12 seats out of 20 it contested, while two other regional parties, NPF and NDPP, suffered major setbacks.
Several voters have said that many of them would like to vote for a party that's in power in Delhi as cash-starved Manipur is immensely dependent on funding by the federal government.
The first phase of polling in Manipur took place on February 28.
