AMCO launches free and fair poll campaign
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 11 2019:
The All Manipur Christian Organisation (AMCO) has launched a campaign to make the 17th Lok Sabha election free and fair in Manipur.
Speaking to media persons at MBC here today, AMCO general secretary Rev Jacob Chapao also announced that a mass prayer session would be launched from March 24 to make the election free and fair.
He said that the campaign is aimed at ensuring a violence-free election where people can exercise their right to vote without any sense of fear.
The campaign also carries a message of electing righteous candidates with moral integrity.
Categorically stating that AMCO is not connected with any political party, Rev Jacob Chapao said that there is no question of speaking in favour or against any political party/candidate in the course of the campaign launched today.
He said that a prayer session would be held all over the State on March 24 on the theme 'pray without ceasing'.
A similar prayer session would be organised 24 hours before the days of polling.
As a part of the campaign, pamphlets/leaflets about AMCO's messages and slogans would be distributed to public through Churches, he said.
The leaflets contain slogans like 'My vote not for sale', 'Vote by ballot, not by bullet', 'My vote is my right and gift from God', 'My vote accountable to God and Nation', 'Vote with dignity without violence' etc.
As a result of the sustained efforts made by Church organisations, most elections held in Mizoram are by and large peaceful, Rev Jacob Chapao remarked.
Saying that Christians now constitute 41 per cent of the total population of Manipur, he said that elections in Manipur too can be made peaceful if the Christians work collectively in the true spirit of Christianity.
To a query, he said that such a free and fair campaign was launched for the first time in the run up to the State Assembly election of 2012 .
Even though the campaign could not contain poll related violence completely, it was successful to some extent.
The campaign was fairly successful in Tamenglong district, he claimed while exuding confidence that their campaign would definitely bring some changes.
Notably, Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency will go to polls on April 11 while the 17th Lok Sabha election in Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency has been scheduled on April 18 .