The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday announced that it would support the NPP in Meghalaya, NPF in Manipur and NDPP in Nagaland in the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The BJP in-charge for the northeastern region, Sambit Patra, made the announcement on X.
As per the instructions of the Hon’ble National President of @BJP4India, Shri @JPNadda ji, I am pleased to inform that BJP will extend its support to Lok Sabha Candidates of NPP in both the seats of Meghalaya (Shillong and Tura),
to NPF in the Outer Manipur Constituency and to…— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) March 22, 2024
He said the BJP would support the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya in both the Lok Sabha seats in the state and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) in one of the two parliamentary constituencies in Manipur in the upcoming general election. The BJP will also support the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), the ruling party in Nagaland, in the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state.
“As per the instructions of BJP president J P Nadda ji, I am pleased to inform that BJP will extend its support to Lok Sabha candidates of NPP in both the seats of Meghalaya (Shillong and Tura), to NPF in the Outer Manipur constituency and to NDPP in Nagaland in the ensuing parliamentary elections 2024,” Patra said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The BJP had unsuccessfully contested the two seats in Meghalaya and one seat in Manipur in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The seats on which the BJP has extended support to the NPF and NDPP were won by the regional parties in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The NPP had won one of the two seats in Meghalaya.
As per a PTI report, sources said the political upshot of ethnic clashes in Manipur might have prompted the BJP to support these regional parties in these constituencies with a considerable Christian population.
Interestingly, these state parties have often supported the BJP government at the Centre.