Ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in the troubled north-eastern state to be held on April 26, Manipur Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh said that people in the hill areas want to support his party.

“Congress party with the full support of the INDIA bloc can win both the seats in Manipur- Inner and Outer. This time we got a lot of support from the Interior people of Manipur. This time also, people in the hill areas are supporting the Congress,” Singh told ANI on Wednesday.

Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-run state government for the ensuing violence in the state, the Congress state president said that the situation in the state is like a dictatorship.

“Under the current government, the whole system is paralysed. There is no administrative hold. The law and order have collapsed in the entire state…Under the Biren Singh government, the situation is just like under a dictatorship. The civilians are affected, including the women and youth,” Singh said.

On the law and order situation in the state, the Congress leader said that there is no question of rights in the state and people from Interior Manipur have to follow Chief Minister Biren Singh’s dictats.

“The situation here is different from the rest of the country. Police of the state and the security forces of the Centre were silent spectators. People are saying there they can’t survive here due to lawlessness. People’s rights are violated. There is no question of rights under the Constitution for the Interior people. Whatever Biren Singh wants, the Interior people have to follow. Otherwise, they cannot survive,” Singh said.

On the new hooligan groups that have come up in the state since the violence broke out, the Congress state president said, “Recent creations, handiworks of Birendra Singh have become active…Almost all the leaders, the politicians, scholars, think tank leaders cannot speak out because of their threats.”

Alleging rigging at almost all booths in Manipur Singh said, “There is no model code of conduct. Almost all booths are being captured. Armed miscreants with AKs are entering into polling stations and rigging. There is no agent for Congress. The BJP agents are with these armed goons. There is rigging and voting in favour of the BJP and the NPF.”

After incidents of violence during polling in the opening phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, bringing back grim memories of the ethnic clashes that claimed many lives and displaced scores more, the Manipur will have a tryst with democracy again on Friday.

While the Inner Manipur constituency, which is inhabited by the majority Meiteis, polled in the first phase on April 19, parts of Outer Manipur, too, voted to elect its Lok Sabha representative in the opening phase.

Re-polling was held in 11 polling stations of the Inner Manipur constituency on April 22, after multiple incidents of violence were reported during the first phase of polling on April 19.