Poll preparations begin behind the scene
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 24 2018: Different political parties have started preparations to field their own candidates in the Lok Sabha election which is due early next year.

Even though preparations for the Lok Sabha election are not yet visible outwardly, many political parties, working behind the scenes, have started the ground work to field their own candidates.

CPI and Janata Dal (United) have already identified their candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency even though it is not yet clear whether two parties would field their candidates in the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.

JD-U State president Hangkhanpao Taithul informed The Sangai Express that the party's central leaders who came to Imphal to attend a political conference held on May 20 this year expressed keen desire to field the party's candidates in both the Parliamentary Constituencies of the State.

In line with the Central leaders' desire, the party's State level committee has recommended retired IFCD Chief Engineer Ajijur Haque Khan as the party's candidate in Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.

The party has also started campaigning for Ajijur, Hangkhanpao said.

For Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, JD-U is yet to identify its candidate, he said.

Nonetheless, the party has been working to field a candidate in Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency too.

Till date, no political party has come forward to forge an alliance with JD-U for the Lok Sabha election, he confided.

CPI Manipur State Council has been working to field Dr M Nara who fought the Lok Sabha election repeatedly earlier this time too.

While Dr M Nara is most likely to represent CPI in the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, it is not yet clear whether the party will field their candidate in Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.

Even though no official decision has been adopted yet on forging pre-poll alliance with any party, CPI has been working to fight the Lok Sabha election together with democratic and secular forces, said one spokesman of the party.

MPP's Central Working Committee has resolved to field their candidates in both the Inner and Outer Parliamentary Constituencies.

The same resolution would be tabled and endorsed in another meeting of the Central Working Committee scheduled on November 30.Although MPP has already started informal negotiation with Aam Admi Party (AAP) and Janata Dal (Secular) to form a pre-poll alliance, MPP would not sacrifice any of the two Lok Sabha seats, said party president O Jugindro.

Conveying that the party has shortlisted the probable candidates, Jugindro hinted that the candidates would be those people who have been working as MPP supporters or office bearers since many years back.

Even though National People's Party (NPP) is a partner of the incumbent coalition Government, the party has decided to field their own candidates in both the Inner and Outer Parliamentary Constituencies.

NPP president Thangminlen Kipgen informed that they would not forge any pre-poll alliance with any political party.

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