New Delhi:

Manipur will vote in two phases – on February 27 and March 3 – as the elections are held for the 60-member state assembly, the Election Commission announced on Saturday. The counting of the votes will be held on March 10.

The Election Commission on Saturday announced the schedule for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

According to the Election Commission, six districts of Manipur will go to the polls on February 27, while voting in the other 10 districts will take place on March 3.

In the 2017 state elections, Congress had emerged as the single-largest party by winning 28 seats. Several leaders, however, later quit the party.

Later, the BJP which had 21 seats managed to form the government with Nongthongbam Biren Singh as the Chief Minister in an alliance with three regional parties – Naga People’s Front (NPF) National Peoples Party (NPP), the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Independent candidate, and even a former Congress MLA.

Over the past five years or so, 13 Congress MLAs have switched over to BJP.

Chief Minister Nongthongbam Biren Singh, a former Congress leader, has been able to steer the alliance for five years with a strong lobby inside the party in Manipur, pushing BJP central leadership more than once for a leadership change in the state.

Biswajit Singh is another BJP leader who has made efforts to bridge the divide between the hills and the valley areas of Manipur and sustain peace.

The BJP’s relation with its alliance partner NPF was recently strained after the party had poached few key members of its ally. The NPP – another component of the coalition – has this time decided to go solo.

Congress which is facing a crisis due to infighting between state units aims to wrest power from the BJP in the state. The party also suffers due to the absence of vibrant and energetic young leaders.

The party has vowed to push for “the immediate and complete removal of AFSPA” from Manipur if it is elected to power.

The controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to military personnel in “disturbed regions”, has come under increasing scrutiny after the horrific killing of 14 innocent civilians in Nagaland last week.

Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) had earlier announced that the party will contest the assembly elections in the northeastern state. JD(U) and BJP are allies in Bihar as well as at the Centre.

Conducting elections in Manipur amid frequent insurgent attacks is one of the biggest challenges for the Election Commission. Apart from this, the poll panel aims to conduct “Covid-safe elections in five states with maximum voter participation with extensive preparations.”

The Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the five states with the announcement of elections.