E-Paper
Ahead of Manipur polls, Congress leader resigns, likely to join a national party
Veteran Congress leader Khuraijam Ratankumar Singh resigned from the party on Thursday after being denied party ticket to fight in the upcoming Manipur assembly elections. He has announced his plan to join a national party.
IMPHAL: The opposition Congress party’s announcement of a pre-poll alliance with five political parties and their subsequent decision to support a common candidate in Khurai constituency in the upcoming Manipur assembly elections evoked sharp reaction from an aspiring candidate in the constituency.
Veteran Congress leader Khuraijam Ratankumar Singh, who had been campaigning for Khurai seat under Imphal East district, resigned from the party on Thursday after being denied party ticket and announced his plan to join a national party to fight in the upcoming elections.
After Ratankumar’s resignation from Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, the Khurai Block Congress Committee (BCC) has been dissolved.
Informing this, a key functionary of the Khurai BCC, who also later resigned from the party, told media that they had been working hard when the congress was not in a good position since the last few years. “But, in spite of all efforts, they failed to acknowledge it,” he said.
On Thursday, MPCC president N Loken Singh in the presence of the representatives of political parties, announced a pre-poll alliance with CPI, CPI(M), Revolutionary Socialist Party, Janata Dal (S) and Forward Block.
He also informed that the Congress will support their common candidate (CPI candidate) in Khurai seat while the party will have a friendly contest in Kakching seat.
Earlier, another intending Congress candidate and a former congress legislator from Hiyanglam seat also strongly reacted to the grand old party’s decision when his name was excluded from the party’s first 40 candidates list.
On January 22, the Congress announced names of 40 candidates for the assembly elections in Manipur. Out of them, 12 are sitting MLAs, 9 are ex-MLAs while the rest 19 are new faces.
Similarly, the National People’s Party, a coalition party of the BJP-led government, also announced names of 20 candidates recently. But the ruling BJP and its ruling ally Naga People’s Front are yet to announce their list till date.
Manipur will go to polls in two phases on February 27 and March 3. In the first phase, elections will be held for 38 constituencies and the remaining 22 constituencies will vote in the second phase.
