Manipur polls: Smaller parties will hold key to govt formation, say expert

In Manipur, voters are a tired lot. They’ve lost track of candidates and their parties — that’s to say, which candidate belongs to which party. Party-hopping has caused erosion of faith, lack of development, and loss of trust. As the state goes to the polls on February 28 and March 5, many are asking themselves if the candidate they vote for will stay in the party he represents after the government is formed.

Possibly this is the reason margins of victory are so narrow. Defection is rampant because peo­ple are voting for individuals, not parties. But that is an academic point.