Wednesday, Apr 17, 2024 00:45 [IST]
Last Update: Tuesday, Apr 16, 2024 19:11 [IST]
To
The Editor
Hello and
Namaskar sir/ madam
As North-East states are going to poll on April 19 and 26 and May 7, I have written this in-depth piece for you. I
have discussed the NE scenario in detail after talking to many experts.
Attachment is also enclosed
Kindly consider it.
Regards
Vivek Shukla
Author and columnist
Contributing
Editor of BBC, NavBharat Times, The Patriot and Lok Mat ( Hindi)
M-9818155246
-
Can BJP win all the 25 seats of North-East?
-
Modi-Shah
efforts: BJP set to sweep NE states
Vivek Shukla
The
north-eastern region of India, where the sun's rays first reach, is ready to
deliver its verdict in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) is aiming to win 370 seats in these elections, including all 25
seats from the Northeast. Looking back at the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP
had secured significant victories in the Northeast, and the party is confident
of maintaining its hold this time as well.
This
confidence stems from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's belief that the people of
the Northeast will not forget the development initiatives his government has
undertaken in the region. Additionally, Home Minister Amit Shah, like PM Modi,
has played a crucial role in establishing lasting peace in the Northeast
through various peace accords. Due to robust internal security measures, there
have been no major violent incidents reported across the region, with the
exception of Manipur, where the Home Ministry is actively working towards a
concrete solution.
India’s
Northeast comprises the eight border states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. The region accounts
for 25 seats in the 543 seat-Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian
Parliament. States in the region will vote on April 19 and 26 and May 7.
Assam
holds the highest number with 14 seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the
NDA secured 21 out of the 25 seats. The BJP aims to surpass this figure in the
upcoming elections.
Assam
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the BJP, who is convener of the North
East Democratic Alliance, a BJP-led bloc in the Northeast, claims that the NDA
would win 22 seats across the region in the upcoming general elections.
Discussions
with political functionaries from different parties revealed that the BJP and
its allies have an edge in 20 constituencies. The contest in the remaining five
is expected to be tough.
In Assam,
which has the highest number of seats (14) among all the northeastern states,
the ruling BJP has fielded candidates in 11 constituencies and its allies – the
Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) – will
contest from the remaining three. In 2019, the BJP won 9 seats from Assam. The
UPPL and AGP failed to secure victories from their allocated constituencies.
So far,
the INDIA alliance has not shown any significant interest or investment in the
northeastern states. Mamata Banerjee's TMC and Sharad Pawar's NCP had made
independent attempts to gain a foothold in the region during the previous
elections, but this time, their efforts seem to be absent. This is primarily
because Sharad Pawar is currently engaged in a battle with his nephew to
maintain control over his party and political existence. Similarly, Mamata
Banerjee is facing challenges at home due to allegations of corruption and
communal disturbances.
The trust
placed in the BJP by the people of the Northeast stems from the active focus on
development and peace initiatives undertaken by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit
Shah over the past decade.
Although
Manipur has only 2 Lok Sabha seats, resolving the ongoing tribal conflict there
is crucial for the government. Home Minister
Amit Shah has been making continuous efforts in this regard. In his recent meeting in Shillong, Amit Shah
said that the last 10 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been the most significant
for the development of the Northeast in the 75 years since independence. These
10 years under the leadership of Modi ji, not only the distance from Northeast
to Delhi and the rest of India has reduced due to the creation of
infrastructure, but the difference of hearts has also reduced. The Northeast, which was struggling with
various ethnic, linguistic, border and extremist groups related problems, has
also got the beginning of a fresh and durable era of peace in these 10 years.
It goes without saying that If these 10 years
for the Northeast are compared with the 75 years after the country's
independence, then this decade will definitely be considered as the Golden
period of the Northeast.
In a
recent historic development, the Government of India and the Government of
Manipur signed a peace agreement with the United National Liberation Front
(UNLF), one of the oldest armed groups in Manipur. This agreement paves the way
for a new era of peace in the Northeast in general, and Manipur in particular.
It marks the first time that a valley-based Manipuri armed group has agreed to
renounce violence, return to the mainstream, and respect the Constitution of
India and the country's laws.The agreement will not only end hostilities
between the UNLF and security forces, which have claimed thousands of lives
over the past half-century but will also provide an opportunity to address the
community's long-standing concerns. The UNLF has been active since 1964,
operating both within and outside Indian territory.
Following
the Modi government's arrival, ULFA, Assam's oldest insurgent group, agreed to
renounce violence, disband the organization, and fully participate in the
democratic process. Amit Shah has consistently maintained that insurgents are
misled individuals. He believes that if they are provided with employment
opportunities, security, and a vision of a new India, they will abandon
violence and choose to join the mainstream. The surrender of ULFA cadres is a
testament to this belief. Shah's policies have successfully led to the
surrender of over 9,000 cadres involved in insurgency across the Northeast.
Meanwhile, The Central Government is making
all possible efforts to support development of sports in the North- Eastern
states through funding. All essential
steps are being taken to support the NE States, and the Government is
positively and continuously sanctioning the proposals received from the NE,
including Nagaland. Under Khelo India Scheme, the second Khelo India Games were
held in Guwahati. Given this backdrop, it looks that NE states would give
positive results to BJP in the
forthcoming Lok Sabha election.