'Segregation' impedes BJP campaign, many dejected
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 23 2015 : Alleged favouritism and nepotism on the part of BJP State unit leaders have left many BJP candidates dejected apart from severely impeding the party's campaign for the ensuing ADC election.

Notably, BJP has been fielding their candidates in 120 ADC seats out of the total 144 seats.

Moreover, many Union Ministers have also been lending their weight to the party's campaign by personally joining election rallies.

Even as the ADC election is approaching fast and the campaign period has entered the final phase, many BJP candidates have not been given assistance from the party till date.

Many of them came to the party's Nityaipat Chuthek office here and raised an uproar against the party leadership.

Similar scenes of uproar were seen at the time of giving party tickets.

A consi- derable number of BJP supporters who have been working for the party for a long time were snubbed at the time of giving party tickets.

In their place, party tickets were given to relatively much newer faces, alleged some aspiring candidates who have been denied BJP tickets.

The dejected aspiring candidates and their supporters confided that they felt betrayed and they even raised strong suspicion about the party leadership's indulgence in corruption and graft practices.

BJP candidates contesting the ADC election in Tameng-long, Ukhrul, Senapati, Chan- del and Sadar Hills came to the party office last evening and raised a hullabaloo against the party leadership.

Incidentally, most of the key leaders were not present when the BJP candidates raised an uproar the party office as they were yet to return from Churachandpur where they attended an election meeting together with Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Talking with The Sangai Express at the party office, some BJP candidates said that they came here with the hope of getting some assistance from the party.

It was simply outrageous that the party leaders stayed backed at Churachandpur even after knowing that many candidates and their supporters were waiting for them at the party office.

Election campaigns of many BJP candidates have been virtually paralysed as they have not been given any form of material assistance from the party till date.

On the contrary, candidates of other National parties, having received adequate assis- tance from the side of their respective parties, have wrapped up their election campaigns.

Although BJP is a National party which is in power at the Centre, BJP Manipur Pradesh has been maintaining stoic silence guided by a discriminatory attitude, alleged the disgruntled candidates.

It is the party leaders who have been segregating their own candidates by dividing them into three groups.

According to the leaders' speculation, the first group comprises of candidates who would surely win the election.

The second group of candidates have fair chance of winning the election while third group is hopeless, according to the party leadership's speculation.

This is ridiculous, they remarked.

They further decried that the party gave assistance to some selected candidates while majority of the candidates were left out.

Amidst the ruckus, one BJP State unit leader informed the agitated candidates aid materials and other forms of assistance have been arranged and they would be delivered to district headquarters tomorrow even though it is Sunday.

But one candidate and his supporters maintained that they were not convinced.

Saying that the particular leader was trying to buy time, the candidate and his supporters left the BJP office.

Strangely, most of the party leaders could not be seen at their office till late night.

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