Just when the general public are feeling blessed with the low key campaign in keeping with the restrictions imposed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as mandated by the threat of the pandemic, the restrictions had been lifted with the slowdown in daily positive figures and positivity rate in the state. On Thursday, the number of positive figures and positivity rate had come down to 36 and 3.5 per cent. Yet, deaths are slowing down.
With the visit of high profile personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for the election campaign, big rallies are being organised whether violation of the Covid-19 restrictions rather became a norm. For the BJP, every day a Central minister or other VVIPs visits Manipur and campaigns in various election rallies and flag hoisting ceremonies. Star campaigners like Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Smirti Irani, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and a host of other BJP leaders besides Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav in charge of Manipur elections had been visiting the state. Members of the public had been complaining about the traffic jams and diversions affected by the visit of these leaders.
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Manipur police has also always a strange way of regulating traffic in Imphal city, more so during VVIP visits and their movement. Entire stretches of major roads in the city are completely blocked during the visits of Union ministers, thereby causing extreme inconveniences to the general public. These VVIP visits do always throw traffic out of gear in Imphal. On such days, the city was clogged with traffic congestion as ordinary vehicles were diverted from the routes the VVIP was travelling. The general public was made to suffer on the streets. But, such unimaginative management of traffic is not a recent phenomenon or of the BJP regime. This has also happened during the Congress rule and spells of President’s Rule. In the name of security considerations, such abuse of public space and roads has been happening, since long and traffic management or regulation is yet to come out of the security cocoon which negates all other considerations.
On the other hand, we are lucky that BJP also chose the helicopter for making multiple visits to certain corners of the state in a single day. Even Chief Minister N Biren Singh had become habituated to helicopter campaigns covering multiple constituencies in a day. During the election, BJP is footing the bill for helicopter visits while it is the state which is bearing the costs of helicopter hops across the state. One remembers the visit of former CM Okram Ibobi to Ukhrul where he could not land as the helicopter was shot at. Luckily or otherwise, it has not happened in the case of incumbent CM N Biren Singh. But, he is not helicopter hopping in constituencies where its ally Naga People's Front (NPF) is strong leading to rumours that BJP had surrendered to NPF in some constituencies.
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The thing with Covid-19 restrictions is that the general public had not been disturbed with blaring campaigns of different parties seeking votes in the name of their candidates. Except for small gatherings, there is silence in the leikais and villages which gives the people ample time to ponder upon who to vote for in this 2022 assembly election. Come election time, people used to despair at the sound of blaring microphones and crocodile tears seeking votes. Yet this time, the pandemic has served as a boon in giving the public a peace of mind. Of course, the silent campaign is now resorting to everyday feasts and parties organised by the agents of the candidates. In many constituencies, there are reports of feasts and small gatherings everywhere. Well, it is not a noisy election as such this time. The lifting of restrictions is at the last hours of the campaign and the public have a right to rejoice in it.
