North East India Development Party, Lok Janshakti Party also name candidates

IMPHAL: The newly set-up, Imphal-based

North East India Development Party

(NEIDP) and

Lok Janshakti Party

(LJP) on Wednesday named their candidates for the

assembly polls

.

Of the total 12 candidates fielded by NEIDP, three are former MLAs - Ashangbam Biren Singh, Doukhomang Khongsai and Sapam Kunjakishore aka Keba. They will fight from the Jiribam, Saikul and Patsoi seats, respectively. Doukhomang will challenge sitting Congress MLA Yamthong Haokip, Paojalet Touthang of BJP and NPF nominee Thangboi Haokip. Keba, on the other hand, will take on AK Mirabai, the lone woman minister of the ruling Congress, and S Premanda Sharma of BJP.

In Jiribam, Biren will fight it out against senior Congress leader and MLA Th Debendra, Th Ranbir Singh of BJP and NPF's Mathiudin Kamei.

Among the 11 candidates named by LJP in its first list are the party's lone MLA and national general secretary (northeast) Karam Shyam. He will take on BJP strongman and former MLA O Joy Singh and L Tilotama of Congress. The LJP candidates were nominated by its national president and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Both Congress and BJP have already named candidates for all 60 assembly seats. Both parties have also begun hectic electioneering all over the state, organizing meetings, political conventions and house-to-house campaigns.