Imphal (Manipur): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh offered prayers at Shree Govindajee Temple in Imphal</a> on the verdict day for Assembly elections.
The political fervour is high as all eyes are set on the counting of votes for Assembly elections in Manipur that began at 8 am on Thursday morning.
Riding on their poll plank of development and improved connectivity in the state in the last five years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will try to retain power in Manipur while the Congress-led alliance is seeking to wrest the state from the BJP and is hoping for a favourable verdict as the countdown begins for the counting of votes polled in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Earlier, the exit polls in Manipur gave a clear edge to the ruling BJP followed by Congress, a distant second. Elections for the 60-member Manipur Assembly took place in two phases on February 28 and March 5.
As counting is underway, proper security measures have been taken including the imposition of Section 144 CrPC around the counting centres to ensure that peace and tranquillity are not disturbed and counting of votes is conducted smoothly, the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur informed.
In 2017, the BJP had formed the government in Manipur with the support of the National People's Party (NPP), Naga People's Front (NPF) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) but this time, it decided to go solo and is contesting on all the 60 seats.
On the other hand, Congress had formed an alliance of six political parties and named it Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA). The coalition partners in MPSA include Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Janata Dal (Secular). (ANI)
