Election campaigns are gaining momentum in four Assembly segments spread over three districts of Manipur.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh, BJP’s by-election campaigner Dilip Saikia, ministers, MLAs and MPs of the party have been addressing election rallies in support of the party candidates.
Saikia who is also national general secretary of the party arrived here in Imphal on Sunday to chalk out the party’s by-poll strategies. He along with the chief minister addressed voters in Wangoi assembly constituency of Imphal West district where party candidate and state Agriculture minister, O Lukhoi is vying for the seat he had vacated recently to switch to BJP from the Congress.
The chief minister wooed the voters by highlighting the “achievements” of the three-and-half years old BJP-led coalition government of Manipur. He reiterated his government’s commitment to make Manipur a corruption free state and eliminate poverty.
The chief minister along with Saikia also addressed a rally of Md Abdul Nasir who is contesting the by-poll to regain the seat he had vacated after resigning from the state Assembly as Congress legislator.
In his address, the chief minister stated that BJP will never forget the sacrifice made by Nasir to save his government. He further wooed the voters claiming that BJP is a secular party, and that the party is against disparaging of the minority communities.
On the other hand, the opposition Congress launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led coalition government on Monday. The Congress party has been holding rallies in by-poll bound assembly segments.
While launching the attack, senior Congress leader and sitting legislator K Ranjit said that the BJP-led coalition government is trying to fool the people by highlighting inaugurations of projects implemented by the then Congress government as its achievement.
“Except construction of some women market complexes and laying foundation stones for minor projects, the BJP-led government has done nothing for the development of the state,” Ranjit alleged. “State’s development pace is backtracking in the last three and a half year rule of the BJP”, he added.
Of the 13 vacant seats lying vacant in the state assembly, the ECI had announced holding by-polls in five assembly segments. However, after a BJP candidate was declared elected uncontested, the by-poll will be held in four assembly segments on November 7.
After the lone independent candidate had withdrawn his nomination paper from contesting the by-poll in Singhat Assembly constituency, BJP candidate Ginsuanhau was declared elected uncontested.
It can also be noted here that a total of 11 candidates are in the fray for the by-polls in the 4 assembly segments. The candidates in the fray are four Congress, three BJP, one NPP and two independents.
The ruling BJP, its partner in the coalition government NPP and opposition Congress are in triangular fight in Wangoi assembly constituency in Imphal West district.
The ruling BJP is campaigning for independent candidate Md Abdul Nasir in Lilong assembly constituency of Thoubal district. The by-poll in this constituency was necessitated after Nasir resigned from the state Assembly as Congress legislator.
NNN
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