With only a month to go for the Manipur State Assembly Elections, a significant number of developments have been recorded both in Imphal Valley and also across the four Hill districts of the State. One significant factor in all this has been the intense reworking of political forces. Given that the coming elections will be the most crucial that Manipur will undoubtedly undertake in years to come, for the Nagas in Manipur as well, it is clear that the future of several political issues will likewise depend on the outcome at the hustings. The strategy adopted by the United Naga Council (UNC) appears to be going along expected lines and given that it has consolidated its position vis-à-vis the electorate and the issue being projected, there is every possibility that Naga votes will be counted for much more in terms of the value added to the larger question of political representation. And if the UNC is successful, politically, to demonstrate this to the Government of India through the democratic process of election, it will no doubt deal a major boost to the current Indo-Naga peace process. At the end, a poll outcome in favour of the issues raised by the UNC will put much pressure on New Delhi to address the question of Naga integration.
In more ways than one, the Manipur elections will be a referendum of sorts on the integration issue. Therefore, given the enormity of the occasion, the UNC must continue to plan for the election in a manner that will effectively address the Naga issue. It is important for the Nagas of Manipur to work in unison if at all they desire to achieve their stated political objective. In this context, how well the UNC is able to prepare and mobilize the general public as well as the intending candidates will be crucial. The large number of resignations of workers from national political parties in support of the call given by the UNC will add weight to the latter’s campaign for fighting the forthcoming election on a united front.
It may be mentioned that The Morung Express in an earlier editorial had pointed out about a major challenge that remained for the Nagas of Manipur in “finding the right vehicle for contesting the polls”. Given the bitter experience of contesting on party tickets, it was then suggested that the UNC should seriously contemplate an alternate ‘political mechanism’ for the ‘right’ intending candidates to contest on a ‘common aspiration’. Now that the UNC has more or less identified the mechanism and the agenda for Naga candidates to contest the polls, it remains to be seen as to how this pre-poll mechanism will be implemented when Election Day finally comes. It has to be ensured that people vote in a united manner and to avoid division of votes so that a good number of candidates get elected. It is important for those elected to address issues and not monopolize power and pelf as has been the case of many Naga politicians in Manipur both in the present and the past. The UNC should also ensure in keeping its flocks together under a unified command structure so that the pre-nuptial agreement is kept in tact.
