BJP announces list of all 60 candidates for Manipur polls

CM N Biren Singh will contest from the Heingang constituency

The ruling BJP in Manipur on Sunday released a list of candidates to contest all 60 constituencies while exuding confidence about getting a two-third majority.

"The development work done by Chief Minister N. Biren Singhji for Manipur under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ensure that BJP achieves a two-thirds majority," the party's in-charge of Manipur, Bhupender Yadav told reporters in New Delhi while releasing the list of candidates.

Assembly elections in the state are scheduled on February 27 and March 3.

The list, approved by the party's Central Election Committee includes at least 10 Congress MLAs who defected to BJP since the 2017 Assembly elections.

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Chief Minister N. Biren Singh will contest from his traditional Heingang seat, from where he has been elected since 2002. Senior leader and PWD minister, T Biswajit Singh will contest from Thongju.

Former president of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, Konthoujam Govindas, who defected to BJP last year is another prominent leader on the list. Govindas will contest in the prestigious Bishnupur constituency.

Apart from Biren Singh, two other footballers Letpao Haokip and Somatai Shaiza and Martial Arts player Yumnam Khemchand Singh figure in the list.

Three former IAS officers - Dinganglung Gangmei, Yengkhom Surchandra Singh and Raghumani Singh have also been given BJP tickets from Nungba, Kakching, and from Uripok constituency respectively.

The party list, however, has only three women candidates, Nemcha Kipgen from Kangpokpi, SS Olish from Chandel, and Soraisam Kebi Devi from Naoriyapakhanglakpa.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 28 seats and BJP bagged 21 seats. BJP, however, managed to wrest power from Congress by taking NPP and NPF on board and thereby formed its first government in the state. NPP and NPF, which contested separately won four seats each.

Congress' tally has come down to 17 due to defections since then.

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