BJP Workers Burn Saffron Flags, Resign After Party Names Manipur Poll Candidates

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries and their supporters in Manipur torched party flags and burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Biren Singh, after the party on Sunday, 30 January, released a list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries and their supporters in Manipur torched party flags and burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Biren Singh, after the party on Sunday, 30 January, released a list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections.

The disappointed ticket aspirants raised slogans in protest, and forced the closure of a few party offices on Sunday evening, news agency IANS reported. While security around the BJP headquarters in Imphal has been heightened, party offices in Imphal, Kakching, Sagolband, and a few other Assembly constituencies were ransacked.

Further, the announcement of the list of candidates was reportedly followed by a spate of resignations from the BJP's Manipur unit. Party functionaries Lourembam Sanjoy Singh and Thangjam Arunkumar, who had been expecting a nomination for the polls, were among those who had resigned, as per IANS.

At least 10 of the 16 former Congress leaders who had joined the BJP in recent years were given tickets by the ruling party on Sunday, leaving many discontented.

Meanwhile, national vice-president of the National People's Party (NPP) and Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar Singh said that his party would try to nominate those leaders rejected by the BJP in the upcoming polls, IANS reported.

BJP To Contest From All 60 Seats

The BJP will be contesting from all 60 seats for the Manipur Assembly polls. On Sunday, 30 January, Union Minister and state election in-charge Bhupender Yadav, along with state incharge Sambit Patra, released the party's candidate list.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh will contest from Heingang Assembly constituency.

The BJP has given tickets to three women candidates – Nemcha Kipgen from Kangpokpi, SS Olish from Chandel, and Soraisam Kebi Devi from Naoriyapakhanglakpa.

Three former IAS officers will also be contesting on BJP tickets – Dinganglung Gangmei (Dipu) from Nungba, Yengkhom Surchandra Singh from Kakching, and Raghumani Singh from Uripok.

"Mostly those who have had a long association with the party in Manipur and worked with it for a long time have been given tickets. Only two sitting MLAs have been replaced with new faces."

Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister

The Manipur Assembly polls will be held in two phases. In the first phase, polling will be held on 27 February in 38 Assembly seats, and in the second phase, polling will be held on 3 March in 22 Assembly constituencies.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 21 seats but it formed the government with the help of smaller parties and independent MLAs.

The Congress had then emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats, but failed to form the government.

(With inputs from IANS.)