IMPHAL, March 27: One BJP nominee and two Congress candidates on Wednesday filed their nominations to contest the two Lok Sabha seats of Manipur.
State education minister Thounaojam Basantakumar Singh contesting for Inner Manipur constituency submitted his nomination papers to the deputy commissioner of Imphal West district.
The BJP had dropped sitting party MP from the same constituency, RK Ranjan who is also the serving Union minister of state for external affairs and education from the fray.
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Sources said that the name of the candidate for the Inner Lok Sabha seat was finalized after a series of meetings between a team of central observers of the party and state party leaders.
Congress candidates Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor, and ex-MLA Alfred Kanngam Arthur also filed their nominations for Inner and Outer Manipur constituencies respectively.
Thounaojam, an ex-IPS officer and the son of former Union minister Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, was accompanied by chief minister N Biren Singh and state BJP president A Sharda Devi.
Speaking to the media the BJP nominee said, “Our party will win with a thumping majority and Narendra Modi will lead the country for the third time.”
Urging all to support him, Thounaojam said, “The issues of the state will be solved with help from the Centre.”
He is pitted against Congress nominee Angomcha Bimol Akoijam in the Inner Manipur seat.
In the Outer Manipur seat, the saffron party has extended its support to ally Naga People’s Front nominee Kachui Timothy Zimik, a retired Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.
Zimik had already filed his nominations for the constituency.
The nomination papers will be scrutinised on Thursday.
Elections will be held in two phases. Inner Manipur and parts of Outer Manipur will go to polls on April 19. Voting in the rest of Outer Manipur will be held on April 26. (PTI)
