Manipur Election: BJP Announces Candidates For All Seats, CM N Biren Singh To Contest From Heingang

Polling for 60 assembly seats in Manipur will be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3.

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New Delhi: BJP on Sunday announced candidates for all 60 Assembly seats in Manipur. Chief Minister N Biren Singh is set to contest the polls from the Heingang constituency.

PWD minister in the government Thangom Biswajit Singh has been fielded from Thongju. The ruling party has given tickets to people across various sections including women doctors, IAS officers, and sportspersons. 

BJP announces candidates for all 60 Assembly seats in Manipur, CM N Biren Singh to contest from Heingang constituency

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Former footballers N Biren Singh, Letpao Haokip, and Somatai Shaiza will be contesting the assembly election. Martial Arts player Yumnam Khemchand Singh has been given a ticket.

BJP has fielded three retired IAS officers Kh. Raghumani Singh, Yengkhom Surchandra Singh, and Dinganglung Gangmei (Dipu) who had taken VRS recently.

The party has also given tickets to three women candidates, namely Soraisam Kebi Devi, SS Olish, and Nemcha Kipgen.

Notably, tickets of two sitting MLAs, have been cut.

"When PM Narendra Modi came to Manipur, the people were so overjoyed and felt happy that PM Narendra Modi holds us so close in his heart. So, in return, the people of Manipur have now decided that they will keep PM Modi close to their hearts by electing the government with a two-third majority," Sambit Patra, BJP's Manipur in-charge said, as quoted by news agency ANI. 

The BJP has set a target of winning a two-thirds majority with at least 40 seats out of 60 seats.

"BJP will contest all the 60 seats and will get a majority on its own. The Modi government has ensured that Manipur will get a stable government and will continue to ensure the development and peace of the region," BJP's Manipur election in-charge Bhupendra Yadav said.

BJP Signed Agreement Of Cooperation

Earlier, BJP was reported to have signed an agreement of cooperation with several party members to be fielded in the upcoming Manipur assembly election, in a bid to prevent switching of allegiance before the polls.

"The party has signed an agreement of cooperation with many probable candidates in the presence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh so that they don't switch sides amid the developing political scenario": BJP's chief spokesperson in the state, Ch Bijoy, told news agency PTI.

It was further said that the saffron party conducted sensitisation meetings to ensure bonhomie and cooperation among members, to be fielded in the polls.

Manipur Election

BJP had formed government in Manipur in 2017 despite securing just 21 seats compared to the Congress party which bagged 28. The saffron party came to power by joining hands with two local outfits - NPP and NPF. Later, BJP's own strength increased to 30 after some MLAs defected from Congress and other parties.

Currently, the NDA, led by the BJP, is in majority in the assembly. It has 30 BJP MLAs and three MLAs from NPP, four from NDF along with three independents.

BJP had got a major jolt in June 2020, when nine MLAs, including ministers, withdrew their support from the government, reducing it to a minority. The central leadership's intervention within a week resulted in four NPP MLAs coming back to the NDA fold, averting the fall of the government. 

Polling for 60 assembly seats in Manipur will be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3. The counting of votes will take place on March 10, along with four other pol-bound states.

(With Agency Inputs)