The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a victory in Manipur winning 32 constituencies in the state Assembly election results declared on Thursday. The majority mark for the 60-member Manipur Assembly is 31.

The Election Commission’s data indicated that the National People’s Party had won seven seats while the Janata Dal (United), a relatively new entrant in the state politics, won six seats.

The Congress and and Naga Peoples Front got five seats each. The newly-formed Kuki People’s Alliance bagged two seats.

Photo credit: The Election Commission

Manipur Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate N Biren Singh won the Heingang seat by a huge margin of 18,271 votes. He asserted that his party will form the government with a full majority in the state.

He told The Times of India: “I have prayed to God, that the coming five years would be tantamount to the last 5 years with peace and development and that BJP forms government with full majority.”

He also told reporters in Imphal that the National People’s Party will not be part of a coalition government if it comes to that.

“From the very beginning, we expected a majority. BJP is going to form its own government and one main thing is the mantra of PM’s sabka vishwas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas. Don’t think National People’s Party will be part of coalition but Naga Peoples Front will not harm the coalition dharma,” Biren Singh said.

The Naga People’s Front and National People’s Party, though part of the BJP-led government in Manipur, contested the polls separately.

Meanwhile, National People’s Party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh lost the Uripok constituency to BJP candidate Kh Raghumani.

The newly formed Kuki Alliance Party won the seats of Saikul and Singhat.

Earlier in the day, the counting of votes was delayed in 19 constituencies, according to the Times of India.

Other key candidates

Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh defeated BJP candidate Leitanthem Basanta Singh in Thoubal by a margin of 2,543 votes.

Former Manipur Congress chief Konthoujam Govindas Singh, who joined the BJP last year, defeated Janata Dal (United) candidate Oinam Nabakishore Singh in Bishenpur by 1,409 votes.

In Yaiskul constituency, well-known police officer and Janata Dal (United) candidate Th Brinda Devi finished a distant third. BJP minister Thokchom Satyabrata Singh won the seat.

Losii Dikho of Naga People’s Front defeated Indepdendent candidate Woba Joram in the Mao constituency by 8,513 votes.

Assembly polls in Manipur were conducted in two phases on February 28 and March 5.

In 2017, the BJP secured 21 seats and came to power for the first time after stitching together a coalition government with the support of four NPP MLAs, four Naga People’s Front members, lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member.

The Congress, then ruling for three terms in Manipur, had emerged as the single largest party in the state. Though, it was ravaged by a series of desertions.