Guwahati, Jan 1: Manipur is going to Assembly polls early this year. Sarma, who is also the convenor of Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a platform of non-Congress parties in the region, while talking to media persons on Saturday said, “Winning Northeast was not a one of those occasion… the BJP has come to stay in Northeast and this will be proved after these batches of elections.”

He added, “My own assessment is that after five successful years our governments will be repeated across the region. In Assam and Arunachal Pradesh we are having a BJP government for the second time. In Manipur, we are going to form a government on our own this time; earlier we had a big coalition. I am confident this time we will have a proper BJP government in Manipur.”

He said Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya will see a stronger NDA and stronger BJP, while the party will retain the power in Tripura.

BJP’s ally and national president of the National People’s Party (NPP) Conrad K. Sangma has hinted that his party will contest the Manipur polls on its own.

NPP is a partner in the ruling BJP-led coalition government in Manipur. In Meghalaya, NPP is leading the six party coalition government which is supported by BJP.

In 2017 Manipur Assembly polls, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 28 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. Later, around eight Congress MLAs left the party. BJP won 21 seats.

BJP got support from NPP and Naga Peoples Front (NPF) which won four seats each.  One MLA each from Trinamool Congress, Lok Jan Shakti party and lone independent member supported the government.

Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya will go to Assembly polls in 2023, while Assembly elections in Mizoram will be held in 2024.