Election Politics in Manipur

Election in a parliamentary democracy is a political means through which the political/voters are moulded and developed. Election involves people into polities or public affairs through political participation and mobilization, provides political linkages, resolves conflicts and also brings about peaceful and an orderly change of authority to the new leaders. The right to govern is obtained by the contesting political parties. The political parties accept the election results in the representative democracy. A good election system is the life-belt of representative government which serves an important function for both the political system  and citizens. Briefly elections in India appear to be an encouragingly integrative process. No authentic study of the elections to the Manipur Legislative Assembly from February 1995 to February 2007 has been made. So the present study deals with the various trends of the election politics in Manipur, participation of regional and national political parties, their electoral alliances, comparative analysis of election manifestos, issues and promises, reasons for the success and setbacks of the contesting/participating parties and their performances and prospects in the context of state politics. It also highlights the socio-economic supporting-base of the contesting parties in the constituencies, political mobilization, apathy, political awareness of the voters, voting behaviour and role of ethnic and regional forces. The book has twelve chapters dealing with various dimensions of election politics in the State and is very useful to the public leaders, public administrators, legislators, teachers, students, researchers and general readers. who are interested in streamlining the election system in the country and the federating units of India.

A. Prafullokumar Singh (b. 1962: at Langthabal Mantrikhong Awang Leikai, Imphal) obtained his Master's degree in Political Science and M.Phil. degree in South-East Asian Studies from the University of Manipur. He also obtained a Doctor of Philosophy ('Elections and Political Dynamics: A Case Study of 1995 Assembly Elections in Manipur') from the Department of Public Administration (School of Social Sciences), North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Mizoram Campus, Aizawl. This book is a revised version of his Ph.D thesis. He is a life member of professional/academic associations such as Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi and Mizoram Political Science Association. He is presently Reader and Head, Department of Political Science, Government Mamit College, Mamit, Mizoram and has been teaching for more than 17 years and also participating in a number of seminars, conferences and workshops.