Stage set for triangular fight in Thangmeiband
Source: Chronicle News Service / DIPR
Imphal, February 13 2022:
With the date for the first phase elections drawing near, at least 96 percent of voters have been inoculated with the first dose of COVIB vaccine till date in Thangmeiband assembly constituency, said Returning Officer (RO) Dr Md Imran Khan.
The RO also informed that 87 percent of voters have been vaccinated with the second dose, adding that the vaccination percentage is one of the highest among the assembly constituencies in the state.
Thangmeiband AC has 28,068 voters including 13,111 male, 14954 female and three transgender voters.
Thangmeiband AC also has 201 PWDs and 561 voters who are above 80 years of age, he added.
The 42 polling stations in the AC are divided into four sectors with one sector officer controlling a sector each, he said, adding that all assured minimum facilities are being provided in all polling stations and that altogether 263 polling personnel including reserved personnel will be utilized in the assembly constituency.
Out of 42 polling stations in the constituency, 9/4 Guigailong Village Community Hall has the lowest number of electorates with 268 voters and 9/1 Sinam Nodiya Upper Primary School has the highest number of electorates with 1017 voters.
Dr Imran also informed that two polling stations, 9/40 Majorkhul Community Hall East and 9/41 Majorkhul Community Hall West have been identified as model polling stations.
These two polling stations will exclusively be manned by women polling personnel, he added.
Dr Imran expressed confidence of witnessing a higher voter turnout in the constituency as compared to the previous assembly elections.
Voter turnout in Thangmeiband AC in the 2017 Manipur assembly election was 82.78 percent.
The RO also sought support of the voters in ensuring successful conduct of a free, fair and smooth election in the assembly constituency.
All 13 assembly constituencies in Imphal West district are going to the polls in the first phase of elections on February 28.For the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly election, Thangmeiband AC, which was bifurcated from the erstwhile Uripok-Thangmeiband AC, has three candidates in fray - Jyotin Waikhom of BJP, Hijam Nutachandra Singh of INC and Khumukcham Joykisan Singh of JD(U) .
Before Manipur attained statehood, Thangmeiband AC was part of Uripok-Lalambung-Thangmeiband AC till the 1967 assembly election.
After Manipur gained the status of a full-fledged state in 1972, Sagolsem Ibomcha of Indian National Congress became the first Member of Legislative Assembly winning the Thangmeiband Assembly seat by defeating Maibam Gouramani of Manipur People's Party.
In the next election in 1974, Gouramani defeated the sitting MLA Ibomcha.
In 1980, independent candidate Koijam Rad-habinod was elected as MLA from the constituency and he became a cabinet minister.
He retained his seat winning the 1984 election as a Congress nominee.
However, in 1990, Ngangbam Kumarjit of Manipur Peoples' Party defeated Radhabinod.
In 1995, Radhabinod regained the Thangmeiband seat and became the deputy chief minister of the state.
He was once again elected from the constituency in 2000, and later served as the chief minister for a brief stint in the early part of 2001.In the 8th State Assembly Election, 2002, Meinam Bhorot Singh of Bharatiya Janata Party won the seat by defeating Radhabinod Koijam, who fought the election on Samata Party ticket.
In the 2007 General Assembly Election, Radhabinod contested the election on Nationalist Congress Party ticket from Thangmeiband AC and won the seat.
In the 10th General Elections, 2012, Khumukcham Joykisan of All India Trinamool Congress Party was elected as the Member of Legislative Assembly from Thangmeiband AC by defeating Jyotin Waikhom of INC.
During the by-election to the Thangmeiband AC seat in 2015, Joykisan came out winner as candidate of BJP.
He again retained the seat in the 2017 election on INC ticket leaving behind his arch-rival Jyotin Waikhom of BJP by a margin of just 157 votes.