PM Modi's Look East policy yields rich dividends for BJP in Nagaland

SANTOSH KUMAR PATHAK

New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form a coalition government in three northeastern states -- Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. Although the poll results of all these three states are crucial for the BJP, the victory in Nagaland is somehow more important in many ways.

For the second consecutive time, the BJP will form the government with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland.

The saffron party had won 12 seats in 2018, and has won 12 out of the 20 seats it contested this time, while the NDPP has won 25 out of the 40 seats it contested.

Together, both the parties won 37 seats in the recently held Assembly elections as compared to the 30 seats they secured in 2018.

Nagaland BJP in-charge Nalin Kohli, in a conversation with IANS, while referring to the alliance's victory said that it is a win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Look East policy and the people of Nagaland had voted for peace, development and a positive agenda in the state.

Referring to the BJP's good performance, Kohli stated that the credit for this victory should be given to Modi's policy.

Kohli added that rapid development had taken place in the northeast in many fields such as highways and airports under the leadership of Modi at the Centre.

He said: "The benefits of various schemes of the Central government have directly reached the beneficiaries."

Kohli added that the Prime Minister had visited the northeast 51 times.

He stated that Union Ministers also visit the region every fortnight on the orders of Modi and have visited more than 400 times, which speeds up the work.

Kohli claimed that the best example of this would be the construction of a second railway station in Nagaland after a century.

The BJP alliance will form the government with 51 per cent votes, 32.2 per cent of the NDPP and 18.8 per cent of the saffron party.

Kohli stated that the reliability of the BJP's leadership and the people's trust in Modi's agenda of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas', are the reasons behind their victory.

Organisationally, the party was strengthened by working at the booth level in the entire state and helping the people during the Covid-19 pandemic, Kohli added.

He said: "Direct contact was established with the people through programmes like 'Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan'.

He added that the joint campaign launched by the BJP national president JP Nadda and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio sent a message that their alliance was strong.

Kohli said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had become the first Home Minister of India to have spent a night in eastern Nagaland.

"PM Modi's Dimapur rally resulted in the BJP-NDPP candidates winning all the five seats in that area."

Kohli stated that it is for the first time since the formation of Nagaland that two women have won in the Legislative Assembly elections and both of them contested from the NDPP.

He said the BJP's third female candidate lost by only 600 votes.

Kohli said that it is apparent that the politics of development is being adopted across the state and the Congress has been engaged in spreading negativity and confusion, along with slandering the Prime Minister, which does not benefit the people.