PM Modi says victory in the northeast is endorsement of ‘ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ mantra

The BJP and its allies are back in power in the northeastern states of Tripura and Nagaland. The BJP will also provide its support to Conrad Sangma led National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya after the latter fell short of acquiring a majority. NPP won 26 of the 60 seats. This victory for BJP, often touted as a party supported by the Hindu majority, will be significant as the northeast is home to people of various religions and ethnicities.

In Tripura, the incumbent BJP won 33 seats, while in Nagaland, NDPP-BJP alliance swept the state with 37 seats. In Tripura, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma’s two year party Tipra Motha too won 13 seats.

In Meghalaya, a former ally of the BJP, NPP managed to win 26 seats. It has already got the support of the BJP. The biggest loser however in the three state elections has been the Congress, which failed to make any impressive mark.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the evening addressing his party workers said that BJP has served the country without any discrimination. “We want one India, number one India (Ek Bharat, Sreshtha Bharat),” Modi said, adding that the previous governments had neglected the northeastern region.

He noted that the results reflect people’s faith in democracy.

The Northeast is the crucial link for India as it connects not just the neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal and China but also serves as the gateway to Southeast Asia. The contours in the region have significantly changed in the last few years after the Centre pressed the pedal on connectivity and infrastructure development in the states. Locals also said that Modi’s Act East policy aimed at promoting economic cooperation, cultural ties while developing strategic relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacific region is yielding results.

“One must understand that the infrastructure development has been rapid. This has provided jobs and also brought the northeastern states into the main national frame,” an analyst told India Narrative.

BJP’s comeback would not only give the party a big moral boost ahead of the 2024 general elections but people in these states are happy as this would mean continuity of policy measures.

According to a report by Observer Foundation Research, a large number of ethnic tribal groups speaking about 220 languages, each with its distinctive societal, cultural and economic patterns, many of them different from those of mainland India, live in this part of the country.

“The challenges of political violence, insurgency, ethnic conflict, and pressures due to undocumented migration, have further added to the difficulties of the region. Its geographical location, surrounded mostly by international borders, makes its security an abiding concern,” it noted.

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