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Survey puts Cong on top, with slide in votes OUR CORRESPONDENT Imphal, March 4: The Congress is set to return to power in Manipur, according to the post-election survey by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in association with The Week and CNN-IBN. The ruling party may win 24-32 seats in the 60-member Assembly. The People's Democratic Front is expected to fare poorly with 5-11 seats. The surprise in the state could be the Trinamul Congress, garnering around 7-13 seats. Independents and smaller parties like the CPI, the Manipur State Congress Party and the Naga People's Front are expected to win between 10 and 18 seats. The study was conducted among 1,200 respondents across 20 randomly selected Assembly constituencies of Manipur in the second and third week of February 2012. The Congress is projected to emerge on top once again with 30 per cent of the votes. While the Congress is down four per cent compared to last time, its main opponent — the People's Democratic Front (PDF) is expected to secure only 13 per cent of the votes. The Trinamul Congress, a new entrant in the Assembly election scene of Manipur, is set to make an impressive debut with a projected vote share of 14 per cent. Other parties, which include the Communist Party of India (CPI), Naga People's Front (NPF), Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), BJP, and Independents, are likely to corner 43 per cent of the votes. Manipur PCC president Gaikhangam said the survey result was not entirely wrong. He said the Congress would win minimum 32 and maximum 36 seats. The People's Democratic Front has been expanded, by bringing in seven more political parties and the name of the conglomerate has been changed to the People's Democratic Alliance. The parties now on board are the NCP, the Manipur Peoples Party, the CPI, the BJP, the CPM, the Trinamul Congress, the Lok Janasakti Party, the Manipur State Congress Party, the National Peoples Party, the Janata Dal (U) and the Naga Peoples Front. Moirangthem Nara Singh, spokesperson for the non- Congress alliance, said the survey had lowered the number of seats likely to be won by the alliance. "Now the alliance, with 11 parties, will win a minimum seat of 35 and maximum 42."

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