INDIA bloc Manipur recommends its consensus candidates

IMPHAL — The opposition INDIA bloc Manipur has recommended Dr. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam and Alfred K Arthur as its consensus candidates for I-Inner Manipur and II-Outer Manipur Parliamentary constituencies in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

This was announced by the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee President K Meghachandra while speaking to the media after attending a meeting of the 10 like-minded political parties, which later formed INDIA bloc Manipur.

The 10 like-minded political parties include Congress, CPI, AAP, Trinamool Congress, All India Forward Bloc, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Revolutionary Socialist Party.

Former chief minister and CLP leader O Ibobi, former deputy chief minister and CWC member Gaikhangam, former congress MP Dr T Meinya and representatives of different political parties also attended the meeting.

However, no official statement has been released by the AICC in connection with the naming of Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a professor at the JNU University, and Alfred K Arthur, a former Congress MLA from Manipur’s Ukhrul district, as its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections till the time of filing this report.

Interestingly, the ruling BJP is yet to announce the names of its candidates for the upcoming general elections.

It may be mentioned that the Naga People’s Front, an ally of the ruling government in the state, had issued its ticket to Kachui Timothy Zimik, a retired Indian Revenue Service officer, to contest the II-Outer Manipur parliamentary seat.

Presently, Dr. Lorho S Pfoze of NPF is the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency, while Union MoS for External Affairs Dr RK Ranjan Singh of BJP is the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency.

Earlier, the Communist Party of India(CPI) had named Laishram Sotinkumar as the party’s candidate for the I-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency but there is no report of nomination being filed by the candidate so far.

No nomination papers have been filed from Manipur so far for the upcoming general elections.

The 18th Lok Sabha election will be held in two phases in Manipur on April 19 and April 26 and the counting of votes will take place on June 4.