Presumably when the Indian National Congress (INC) recorded slight gains from northeast India in the General Elections 2024, an abridged space was offered to the Parliamentarians from the region in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new cabinet. Compared to the Modi 2.0 cabinet, where once five MPs from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura were inducted in the Union ministry, this time it has been reduced to three representatives (at least for the time being). Former Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal retained his ministry (Union ports, shipping and waterways), whereas another central minister Kiren Rijiju got parliamentary and minority affairs portfolios. New entry Pabitra Margherita, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, receives deputy minister’s post in textiles and external affairs.
Once an unbeatable political party, the Congress received good news from the region as it added three more seats to the tally of 25 members in the lower house of Parliament from eight north-eastern States. The oldest political party of India made surprise wins in Manipur, Nagaland and Meghalaya even though it failed to enhance the number in Assam. With more to it, the party failed to attract the voters of Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim as well as Arunachal Pradesh (where it had to satisfy with only one seat in the Itanagar-based State legislative assembly, as polls were simultaneously conducted with the Parliamentary elections).
The counting of votes on 4 June projected a lion’s share in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA tally from the region to shape the 18th Lok Sabha for the next five years. The saffron party that rules six north-eastern States directly or as an ally to the governments suffered defeats in both Parliamentary constituencies of Manipur and one LS seat in Meghalaya and the lone seat of Nagaland. The non-BJP and non-Congress governments of Mizoram as well as Sikkim could convince their voters for the regional party candidates in the national polls. As predicted the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) nominee won the lone seat from Mizoram and Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) candidate had the last laugh in their single LS seat. The ruling SKM had also recorded outstanding performance in the Gangtok-based 32-member State assembly elections winning 31 seats.
The violence-hit Manipur electorates gave mandates to Congress candidates namely Angomcha Bimol Akoijam from Inner Manipur LS seat and Kanngam S Arthur in the Outer Manipur constituency. The loss in both LS seats indicates a negative mandate for the saffron party in general and N Biren Singh-led BJP coalition government in particular. The lone Nagaland LS seat was won by Congress nominee Supongmeren Jamir. In Meghalaya’s Tura seat the Congress candidate Saleng A Sangma won and Ricky Andrew J Syngkon (nominated by Voice of the People Party) emerged victorious in the Shillong seat. Realising the ground reality, BJP did not field any candidate in Meghalaya and supported both the NPP candidates. The loss in both seats may emerge as a serious challenge to Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma in the coming days. ZPM nominee Richard Vanlalhmangaiha won the lone Mizoram LS seat and SKM candidate Indra Hang Subba tasted victory in the lone Sikkim LS seat.
In Arunachal Pradesh, both the LS seats were won by saffron candidates where the BJP also succeeded in retaining power in Itanagar with 46 seats in the 60-member legislative assembly for the third consecutive time. Rijiju won from Arunachal West seat and sitting saffron MP Tapir Gao achieved success in Arunachal East constituency. As predicted, both LS seats in Tripura were won by the NDA candidates, where the ruling BJP fielded former State chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb in Tripura East seat and supported Tipra Motha nominee Kriti Singh Devbarma in West Tripura seat.
In Assam, the Congress won three LS seats (as done in 2019 national elections), but the ruling party increased its tally to 11 with the support of two alliance partners. Asom Gana Parishad legislator Phani Bhusan Choudhury won in Barpeta seat and United People’s Party Liberal nominee Jayanta Basumtary emerged victorious in Kokrajhar constituency. The BJP faced defeats in two LS seats namely Nagaon (where Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi won) and Jorhat (where another Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi declared winner after a tough electoral battle). Amazingly, the Jorhat seat turned out to be a prestige issue for Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who participated in a number of election rallies there, but the outcome went in favour of the Congress to enormously boost its workers across the region.
The third Congress seat in Assam was won by legislator Rakibul Hussain from Dhubri LS seat. In Karimganj seat, BJP candidate Kripanath Malla and in Guwahati, Bijuli Kalita Medhi emerged victorious. Rajya Sabha member Sonowal won the Dibrugarh seat and Another RS member Kamakhya Prasad Tasa succeeded in the Kaziranga seat. Similarly in Sonitpur seat (earlier named as Tezpur) BJP legislator Ranjit Dutta and in Lakhimpur seat sitting saffron MP Pradan Barua were declared winners. Another sitting saffron LS member Dilip Saikia won the Darrang-Udalguri seat as well as State minister Parimal Suklabaidya succeeded in Silchar and BJP nominee Amarsing Tisso in Diphu seat.
Nonetheless, north-eastern electorates recorded impressive voters’ response (nearly 80%) in the national elections compared to the rest of India (less than 70% in average). Often termed as a land of separatists (where once the armed militants dictated the voters to avoid participating in the electoral process), electorates of the region joined in the exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India on 19, 26 April and 7 May trough electronic voting machines with pride and responsibilities. Recording their mandates peacefully (except some violent incidents in Manipur), the committed voters reaffirmed their trust on the democratic values and commitment to make India as a greatest (not only largest) democracy on Earth.