Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 23 2009:
Although MPP and BJP State unit contested the Moirang Assembly by-election together, MPP has resolved to field its own candidate in the Lok Sabha election.
Addressing a meeting of MPP district and constituency level functionaries including MLAs at its office today, MPP president Dr L Chandramani said that there is no question of MPP going together with the political partner it sought as a partner for the LS polls as the other party too has decided to field its own candidate.
In response to the written appeal from BJP State unit to support its candidate in order to defeat Congress in the Lok Sabha election by working together with the NDA, the MPP has conveyed its resolution adopted earlier to put up its own candidate.
As such there is no common route on which the MPP and BJP State unit can go together, said Dr Chandramani.
After the State election committee recommended former Chief Minister Wahengbam Nipamacha as BJP candidate for Lok Sabha elections, the party's Central election committee has officially declared Nipamacha as their candidate.
On the other hand, MPP is preparing to put up former Union Minister Th Chaoba as their candidate.
The MPP president said that its candidate can certainly win the Lok Sabha election notwithstanding the fact the Congress party is in power provided MPP workers and sympathisers work whole heartedly to ensure the victory of the MPP candidate.
Claiming that the party has the capability to win the Lok Sabha election in all aspects, Chandramani asserted that MPP sympathisers and supporters need not harbour any reservation.
Announcing that MPP would launch constituency level political conference for the forthcoming elections from February 1, the MPP president invited written proposals from district level and constituency level workers on who should be the MPP candidate.
He further predicted that Manipur will have an MPP led Government in 2012 .
MLA Dr I Ibohalbi speculated that the Congress party may tie up with Left parties for the Lok Sabha elections as it has no other option.
Claiming that results of the Lok Sabha elections in Manipur would largely depend on the election strategies of MPP and CPI, Ibohalbi asserted that MPP will certainly emerge victorious if MPP workers work sincerely instead of sitting on the fence.
Even though the meeting unanimously resolved to field MPP candidate in the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, it is most likely that the party may not put up its candidate in the Outer Parliamentary Constituency.