Third term for Congress in Manipur; Naga People’s Front wins four seats in Manipur elections; New Congress Legislature Party leader to be elected soon in Manipur; Caretaker Chief Minister of Manipur O. Ibobi offers talks to militant outfits;
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    • According to reports, the ruling Indian National Congress (INC) in Manipur scored a hat trick after the party got an absolute majority in the Assembly election winning 42 seats in the House of 60 including 14 seats in the five hills districts. The Trinamool Congress did well winning seven seats, while the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) that could not win a single seat in the last polls, also performed well, bagging five seats. But the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Manipur People’s Party, major constituents of the opposition Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) comprising 11 non-Congress parties, could not fare well this time. 1

    In another development, according to reports, the Naga Peoples' Front (NPF) clinched four seats in the 60-member Manipur Assembly and the party termed it an achievement. It also vowed to contest the Arunachal Pradesh and Assam polls on the issue of integrating Naga-dominated areas in the Northeast. NPF had contested in 12 Naga-dominated constituencies in the hill districts of Manipur with the sole agenda of integration of Naga inhabited areas. Sources in NPF said the party is now preparing to field candidates in the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh in 2014 and the Assam assembly elections scheduled for 2016. 2

    Meanwhile, reports noted that a new Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader would be elected in the next few days to pave the way for formation of new Congress-led ministry in Manipur where the party got 42 seats in the 60-member Assembly. The present 9th Assembly expires on March 15 and an official order constituting the 10th Assembly would be issued on March 12. 3

    According to reports, a day after Congress retained power for a hat trick, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh sought cooperation from all communities for progress of the State. He also appealed to the underground groups in the State for a talk or dialogue to bring about an amicable solution. 4

    Reports noted that Meghalaya’s somewhat porous 443-km international border with Bangladesh, the ethnically sensitive border with Assam and atrocities of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) are areas of concern identified by the State Government. Meghalaya Governor RS Mooshahary said in his address at the Budget session of the State Assembly, the long international border with Bangladesh remains vulnerable in terms of “influx, smuggling and easy transit routes for the militants,”. “The State Government has taken up with the Government of India to intensify patrolling along the border and where human habitations and settlement are located near the border, to erect the fence along the Zero Line,” the Governor added. 5

    According to reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is of the view that the movement of militants in Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh and in Majuli river island of Assam has become a matter of concern, and there is need for sustained operations in those areas to prevent growth of militancy in the region. Highly-placed sources in the MHA told that there have been reports of movement of members of almost all the major militant groups of the region through Tirap and Changlang districts and the militants are not only using the area as shelter but also for going to their bases in Myanmar. Sources said that almost all the militant groups of the region including the hard-line faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) have strong bases in that area and use the routes to go to Myanmar, while, the inter-factional clashes between NSCN (I-M) and NSCN(K) in that area also resulted in deterioration of the situation. The Government of India has also agreed to deploy four battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the area and one battalion is ready to be put into use. But the slow progress of allotment of land for the setting up of the battalion headquarters is slowing down the process. 6

    In other developments, according to reports, a Mizoram-based guerrilla was killed in a shootout with police in Tripura. Police said that the slain militant had come from the neighbouring Mizoram to collect ransom from villagers in northern Tripura. A mobile phone and a gun were recovered near the body. 7

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