Imphal: Congress party candidates for the ensuing elections to the Manipur Legislative Assembly took oath today that they will not leave the party under any circumstance after they get elected. AICC Manipur in-charge, Bhakta Charan Das administered the oath to the party candidates at the historic Kangla Fort in the heart of Imphal.
While taking the oath, the candidates swore that they will respect people’s mandate and will abide by the rules and regulations of the Congress party.
After taking the oath, the candidates along with party leaders went to places of worship to offer prayers seeking divine blessings.
All the candidates of the party, including former chief minister O Ibobi Singh and CWC member Gaikhangam, took part in the oath taking ceremony.
The Congress has announced names of 50 candidates to be in the fray in the ensuing polls as official nominees of the party.
The candidates took the oath in the backdrop of defections by the party MLAs in the current Assembly. The Congress that emerged as the single largest party by winning 28 seats out of 60 in the 2017 assembly election had lost many of its MLAs after they defected to the BJP. Even former chief minister O Ibobi’s nephew, Okram Henry, defected to the BJP.
Talking to reporters on the sideline of the oath taking ceremony, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesperson and MLA, K Meghachandra said that it was necessitated in the backdrop of rampant defection among the legislators taking place in the state as well as other states of the country. One of the objectives of candidates taking oath was related with saving democracy which is at stake in the country, he also said.
Manipur will go to poll to elect 60 members of the state Assembly in two phases –February 27 and March 3.
The notification for the first phase in which voting will take place across 38 assembly segments had already been issued on February 1 and filing of nomination by the candidates commenced from the same day.
The notification for the second phase will be issued on February 4.
NNN