BJP declares second list of candidates

Two Women Candidates Make The Cut In Second List

IMPHAL: A day after the ruling Congress party declared its candidates for all the 60 assembly constituencies, BJP Central Election Committee on Saturday released the second list of 27 candidates for the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly election, which would be held on March 4 and 8 in two phases. However, many party ticket seekers, including some key members of the party, have been left out.

BJP announced its first list of 31 candidates on January 23. With the second list of 27 candidates, the party is yet to announce the names of candidates for Bishnupur and Lamsang assembly constituencies.

Some high profile politicians have been disappointed as their names were not included in the second list of BJP candidates. The most prominent among them is Yumnam Joykumar, a retired Director General of Police.

Nemcha Kipgen and Vungzagin Valte, who resigned from ruling Congress and joined BJP got the party ticket to contest the election from Kangpokpi and Thanlon assembly constituencies respectively. Apart from Nemcha Kipgen, there is another woman candidate among the 27 names announced on Saturday. The second woman candidate namely SS Olish has been given the ticket to contest the election from Chandel assembly constituency. Former Congress hopeful Jyotin Waikhom, who recently shifted his allegiance to the saffron party after Joykisan joined Congress, got the ticket for Thangmeiband assembly constituency.

There is just one Muslim candidate candidate among the names announced by BJP so far. The party ticket for Kshetrigao assembly constituency from where a Muslim may have got the ticket has been given to a non-Muslim.

In sharp contrast, there are three Muslim candidates, two women and one Nepali in the Congress list.

In Naoriya Pakhanglakpa assembly constituency, former BJP Yuva Morcha president and state executive member Oinam Malesh and two other hopefuls have lost the race for the ticket to S Suvaschandra, who lost the last assembly election to sitting MLA RK Anand. A prominent figure included in the Saturday’s list of BJP candidates is Dr L Fimate, former Director of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences. He had contested unsuccessfully in the 2012 assembly elections. He will be trying his luck from Tipaimukh assembly constituency this time.

Some prominent heavyweights of BJP who would be contesting the assembly election include Thounaojam Chaoba in Nambol, ex-MLA Yumkham Erabot in Wangkhei, Nemcha Kipgen in Kangpokpi (ST), Samuel Jendai in Tamenglong (ST), Vungzagin Valte in Thanlon (ST), Nongthongbam Biren (Heingang) and Francis Nagjokpa in Tadubi assembly constituencies. The upcoming crucial Manipur polls will witness BJP trying to make inroads into Manipur after the magic victory in Assam. In the 60-member House, the BJP has only one MLA.

With many ticket hopefuls left in the lurch, there is strong indication that some of these disappointed BJP ticket aspirants may join other parties in the coming days. One retired IPS officer, P Dhanakumar who was denied the BJP ticket, has already joined a regional party to contest the elections.

Source: The People’s Chronicle