8 in the race for Cong ticket in Inner PC : Interesting days ahead
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 18 2019 -

First time that the two principal political parties will be going to the people after the BJP broke the consecutive 15 years run of the Congress Government in the State.

And as the party in power at Imphal, the coming Lok Sabha elections will obviously be more crucial to the BJP than to the Congress, though this does not mean that the Congress will take it easy.

With the Congress having received some sort of a shot in the arm with the formal induction of Priyanka Gandhi into the party’s fold, the fight between the two principal parties in the State will be interesting.

Only two seats in Parliament, but each seat or each MP will be crucial to either party and this is where one can expect a no holds barred campaigning from either side.

It is in line with this that at least eight well known personalities have lined up for the Congress’ ticket in the Inner Parliamentary seat with former Chief Secretary O Nabakishore in line along with seven others.

In the Outer PC the number remains the same so far with five in line for the party’s ticket.

The BJP on the other hand seems to be keeping its card close to its chest and apart from the individual drives taken up by some intending BJP candidates, there has been no report of anyone formally seeking the party’s ticket.

It will get more interesting once the BJP announces the name of those seeking the party’s ticket in the two Parliamentary Constituencies.

Still early yet to say which way the wind will blow, but choosing the right candidate will be the first crucial step for either party and one now has to wait and see how the two principal political parties proceed.

For the Congress it is sitting MP Dr T Meinya, veteran politician O Joy, ex-MLA Dr Ng Bijoy, Sarangthem Manaobi, Ningombam Bhupenda, ex-MLA RK Anand and ex-Chief Secretary Oinam Nabakishore in the Inner Parliamentary Constituency.

The entry of Nabakishore is what has made things all that more interesting.

Here is a retired bureaucrat, the second man from the Meitei community to crack the coveted IAS exam, the first Meitei man to occupy the chair of the Chief Secretary of Manipur and the firsts can go on.

That he is there now seeking the Congress’ ticket to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections will not however make him the first retired IAS officer to seek a party’s ticket to contest the election.

It also remains that out of the 8 persons in line for the Congress’ ticket, only one will be selected and this is where it becomes important to see how the Congress will work out things internally to ensure that the other 7 intending candidates use their reach and influence to support the one chosen by the high command of the Congress.

The Lok Sabha election this time round may be more intense than in the previous years for remember that though the Congress was bested by the BJP at the last hurdle, it still won more seats than the BJP in the last Assembly elections.

How this can impact on the coming Lok Sabha elections remains to be seen, but surely the number of MLAs will matter to some significant degree.

On the other hand, it also remains that the BJP will work under the Congress Mukt slogan which in essence means that it will not leave anything to chance to break the 15 years stint of the Congress in the Inner Parliamentary Constituency of Manipur.