Ukhrul: Indian National Congress, Member of Parliament, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam and Alfred Kan-ngam Shangshakwoshi Arthur from the Inner and Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituencies of Manipur took the solemn oath at the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, administered by the Speaker pro tem, Bhartruhari Mahtab, on Tuesday.
Under the 23 listed multilingual options for oath-taking, Bimol Akoijam took his oath in Manipuri while Alfred took his oath in English, clad in a Tāngkhul tribe’s Haorā shawl.
INC candidates from INDIA bloc triumphed in both parliamentary seats in Manipur, decisively defeating their closest rivals from the ruling BJP and Nag People’s Front. Dr. Akoijam won the Inner Manipur Parliamentary seat with a historic margin of over one lakh votes, breaking previous electoral records in Manipur. He defeated his nearest competitor, BJP candidate and Manipur Education Minister Th. Basantakumar, by 1,09,801 votes. According to Election Commission of India (ECI) data, Dr. Akoijam of the Congress received an impressive 3,74,017 votes, while his closest rival, Th. Basantakumar Singh of the BJP, garnered 2,64,216 votes. In the Outer Manipur (ST) Parliamentary constituency, Congress candidate Alfred K S Arthur secured victory by defeating NPF candidate Kachui Timothy Zimik by a margin of 83,438 votes.
The 57-year-old academician, Bimol Akoijam is among the few intellectuals from Manipur who are vocal against the ongoing conflict in the state. During the run-up to the election, the distinguished professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, contesting for the first time from Inner Manipur had appealed to the people of the state not to treat the upcoming election as a routine democratic event but take it as an opportunity to rejuvenate the state for a brighter future. He had also remarked, “If I am elected, my first priority will be regaining the lost prestige of Manipur.”
At the end of his oath-taking, Alfred Kan-ngam Shangshakwoshi Arthur uttered in Hindi, “Justice for Manipur, save the nation!” echoing his sentiments in his vote of thanks to the public after his polls victory remark, “It is important to recognize that this mandate has come during the most challenging of times. The road ahead will not be easy. I pray for the courage to walk upright and to be able to represent the hopes and desires of our citizens.” He had also said that his victory in the 18th Lok Sabha polls is “hard-won, achieved through collective action and many silent prayers.”
Alfred K S Arthur is the fourth Member of Parliament from the Tangkhul Naga tribe of Manipur to be elected after 44 years, since the last MP Yangmaso Shaiza from the same tribe in 1977 General polls. It is worth noting that the first and second MPs from Manipur’s Outer Constituency were Rishang Keishing in 1952, a contemporary of Jawaharlal Nehru, and Suisa Rungsung, respectively.
It is noteworthy that the Tangkhul Naga tribe is the only tribal community in Manipur state to have produced two Chief Ministers from the Manipur hills. Notably, Rishang Keishing, a veteran Tangkhul Naga politician, served as Chief Minister for four terms and was once India’s oldest Parliamentarian.