In Manipur, Which Votes This Month, All Parties Focus On "Remove AFSPA"
NDTV
Manipur assembly elections 2022: Manipur and other states in the northeast have seen massive protests against AFSPA in the past, the most recent in Nagaland
AFSPA-free Manipur. This is the battlefield slogan that every political party in Manipur is using to win support ahead of the assembly elections in the BJP-ruled state this month.
The National People's Party, or NPP, is a key ally of the BJP in the north-east state and it had helped the BJP form government in 2017 by adding its MLAs to reach the majority mark in the 60-seat house.
This time, the NPP under its chief Conrad Sangma will contest at least 40 seats in Manipur. Mr Sangma is also the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, where the NPP has its roots.
"We have been stressing on repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. That's very important for the people of Manipur, Nagaland and the northeast. So that's one very important agenda that we are stressing on," Mr Sangma told NDTV.