Unlike the elections in Punjab, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh, the electoral exercise in Manipur exists as a non-event for the ‘national’ media and consciousness. The 9th assembly election in Manipur is no exception. However, for the people of the ‘little paradise’ (as the state is also called), this election is no ordinary one. It may well mark the beginning of a new political reality.

If the elections held in 1948 in Manipur were a significant marker in its history — marking the end of the absolute monarchy in the state by constituting the first ever legislative assembly in South Asia through an election based on the principle of universal adult franchise — the present election signals some new trajectories for this tiny state.

There are two issues that signal a change. First, the widening ‘ethnic’ division, particularly between the people in the valley and hills, enters the election arena. Votaries of the demand for a ‘unified Naga homeland’, which includes the five hill districts of Manipur into ‘Greater Nagaland’ or Nagalim, call for ensuring “the return of responsible candidates... who will represent the Naga aspirations”. In fact, the United Naga Council (UNC), while stating that “some of the most strident critics who function against the aspiration of the Nagas are themselves Naga representatives (MLAs/ministers) in the Manipur Legislative Assembly”, has called upon the ‘Nagas of Manipur’ to elect the independent candidates ‘sponsored’ by it. Just a few days before the election, these ‘independent candidates’ formed an alliance called the United Naga Democratic Front (UNDF).

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