Manipur's first election as a full state
What happened
No single party won control of the newly enlarged assembly; independent candidates, taken together, won more seats than any other party.
Independent candidates won 19 of the 60 seats on offer.
The Indian National Congress followed close behind, with 17.
Neither came near the 31-seat majority mark — a hung house, where no single party held enough seats to govern alone, from the very start.
What changed
This was the first election held after the territory became a full state, with a much bigger assembly to fill.
The house grew from 30 seats to 60.
6 parties ended up winning seats, with 19 more going to independents.
The new assembly included MRP and SOP, both winning seats for the first time.
Notable numbers
A few numbers from that election are worth a look on their own.
The tightest race was in Singjamei, Manipur, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of just 11 votes.
Turnout — the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot — peaked in Khekman, Manipur, at 89.1%.
The largest electorate of the night was Karong, Manipur, with 15,586 people registered to vote.
One seat was won without a contest — an unopposed return, where only one candidate stood, so no vote was needed to decide it.
The backdrop
This vote followed a major change in the region's status within India.
Manipur became a full state of India on 21 January 1972, under the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, having previously been a Union Territory. Its Legislative Assembly was enlarged from 30 to 60 seats; the first election under full statehood was held in March 1972.