AFSPA queers political pitch in N-E as Manipur Assembly elections loom

Promulgation of the 'Disturbed Area' status creates the ground for the enforcement of the Act.

Recent events in the Northeast are going to have a profound effect on the electoral outcome in Manipur. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - which ended the 15-year rule of the Congress and assumed power after the 2017 elections following defections from the Congress and support of the National People’s Party (NPP) - is expected to summon the Cabinet to pass a resolution any day now, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

In Manipur, during the rule of the Congress-led government in 2004, the AFSPA was lifted from seven Assembly constituencies in the state. On