NEW DELHI:
Amid a major discontentment over ticket distribution for Manipur Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on January 30 announced that it will go solo in the forthcoming Manipur Assembly elections.
The party also announced the names of its candidates for all 60 Assembly seats here in New Delhi.
It may be mentioned here that there has been protest and discontentment among party leaders in Manipur over ticket distribution process.
Releasing BJP’s candidate list for the state here at party headquarter in New Delhi, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav exuded confidence and said that BJP will contest on all 60 seats and “win a 2-3rds majority due to people’s faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
“People have faith in Modi ji’s vision for Northeast and Chief Minister N Biren Singh ji’s work in ensuring peace and progress in the state,” said Yadav.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh will contest from his traditional Heingang constituency.
It may be mentioned here that BJP’s ticket distribution in Manipur witnessed a massive protest from several sections of BJP supporters.
Many of the party leaders and supporters openly expressed their protest and stated that it is an unfair ticket distribution in Manipur.
They claimed that ticket distribution has been a mess as BJP leaders give tickets to people who join the party a month ago ignoring state BJP spokesperson Moirangthem Asnikumar Singh from Thanga assembly constituency.
The party has named Tongbram Robindro Singh as its candidate from Thanga assembly constituency.
The list also includes three women candidates – Nemcha Kipgen from Kangpokpi, Soraisam Kebi Devi from Naoriya Pakhanglakpa constituency and S.S. Olish from Chandel (ST) reserved constituency.
Nemcha Kipgen has a bright prospect as she is a sitting BJP legislator (2017). In 2012 she had won the seat on the Congress ticket. In 2017, NPP, BJP’s post-poll ally, candidate Letpao Haokip had won the Chandel seat.
In these two constituencies Naoriya Pakhanglakpa and Chandel (ST), the advantage is not with the saffron party, and the contests can be symbolic in more ways than one.
But BJP nominee Olish had polled over 23 per cent of vote share in 2017 and polled 9,842 votes to finish third in the race.
Closer analysis suggests the BJP could face a tough fight in eight-ten constituencies in the valley that sends 40 legislators to the 60-member assembly.
In the hills including Naga stronghold areas, the BJP’s list suggests it is banking on the image of Prime Minister vis-a-vis the Naga peace talks and hence the advantage could be with NPF.
Furthermore, most BJP candidates are new which made the party members unhappy.
The BJP nominees will get the advantage of support from the Kuki population in Churachandpur and the adjoining region.
The saffron party has fielded Okram Henry Singh, nephew of Congress stalwart Ibobi Singh, from Wangkhei assembly constituency.
Okram Henry Singh was declared as the winner in 2017, but on April 15, 2021, the High Court declared the election result as null and void.
It also declared that Yumkham Erabot Singh would be the elected member from the Wangkhei constituency.
The BJP nominee against 73-year-old Ibobi Singh in Thoubal assembly seat will be L. Basanta Singh.
The saffron party has also decided to field a former IAS officer, Raghumani Singh from Uripok assembly segment. He will be pitted against Y. Joykumar Singh of National People’s Party.
Singh is the deputy chief minister and thus the going may be tough for the BJP candidate.
The saffron party has good prospects of winning certain seats like Churachandpur (ST) and Singhat seats, but will face a tough fight in Chandel and Tengnoupal.
The going would not be easy even in Yaiskul assembly constituency where sitting legislator Thokchom Satyabrata Singh has been fielded again.
The possibility of former cop Thounaojam Brinda contesting in this constituency either as Congress candidate or Independent would make things difficult for the BJP.
She has been a vocal critic of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. Inputs from IANS