Inner Manipur LS bout to centre around promises to bring peace

Guwahati: The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, one of the two seats in the conflict-torn Manipur, is gearing up for a straight contest between the BJP and the Congress, with a focus on a range of issues, including the establishment of peace.The BJP has nominated Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh to go up against Congress candidate Angomcha Bimol Akoijam in the upcoming election.Akoijam, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Social Sciences, is making his political debut as the Congress candidate in the Inner Manipur constituency this election. While there are five candidates, including one Independent, in the fray for the seat, both the BJP and the Congress anticipate that the electoral battle will primarily be between them. The fate of these candidates lies in the hands of over 9.37 lakh voters in the constituency, which comprises 32 assembly constituencies across the Imphal valley.Notably, the BJP has decided not to field any candidate from the Outer Manipur parliamentary seat, but will extend its support to candidates put forth by the Naga People’s Front (NSF), its ally in the NDA. Congress leader Jogeswar Singh Laisram was the first MP from the seat to represent it in the Lower House of the Parliament in 1952. The BJP secured victory in the seat for the first time in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, breaking the longstanding dominance of the Congress, which had held the seat for nine terms since 1952 with intermittent control by Left parties until the early 1980s.Candidate Singh emphasised the importance of maintaining unity in Manipur, pledging to fight for the state’s integrity relentlessly. He stressed that his top priority would be ensuring the return of internally displaced people to their original homes, with a focus on providing maximum assistance from both the state and central govts.Singh highlighted the crucial need for the Center’s support to drive Manipur towards becoming a developed state, referencing Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent rally in the state that focused on the importance of a united Manipur.Meanwhile, Akoijam expressed concerns about attempts to sow division among the people along ethnic and tribal lines, condemning such efforts as unacceptable.

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