Cong announces 1st list of candidates amid protest
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 14: Even as the Central Election Committee of the Congress officially announced the names of candidates for the first phase polling scheduled to be held on February 8, a strong protest erupted at Andro Assembly Constituency today over ticket allocation.

Interestingly the Congress is yet to officially announce the name of the candidate for Andro AC as it falls under Imphal East and it will go to the polls in the second phase.

Effigies of Cong leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Gaikhangam and O Ibobi being readied to be consigned to the flames

In all the names of 19 candidates were announced today.

The first phase poll will be held on Feb 8 at Senapati, Ukhrul and Thoubal district, spread across 19 Assembly segments.

The likely candidate list published by The Sangai Express on January 12 missed the hundred percent accuracy mark with the likely candidate list going wrong at Kangpokpi Assembly Constituency.

Taking off from the melee that erupted in front of Congress Bhawan yesterday, a sense of outrage erupted at Andro Assembly Constituency today with a large number of Block Congress Committee members of the Constituency coming out in the open to protest reports that the party's ticket has been given to a rank new comer while ignoring the claim of Thounaojam Shyamkumar, who has been a Congress worker for many years.

Giving vent to their anger over the 'gross injustice', the Congress workers consigned to flames the effigies of AICC president Sonia Gandhi, MPCC (I) president Gaikhangam and Chief Minister O Ibobi today.

Before the effigies were burnt enraged Block Congress Committee members convened a meeting at the residence of Shyamkumar today at Yambem.

Lambasting the Congress leadership of indulging in gross favouritism and corruption just to please a few people, the Congress workers of Andro AC said that they would make sure that the party is uprooted from the AC for good.

Towards this end all the members of the Block Congress Committee of Andro led by its president will resign enmasse from the party they announced.

Three resolutions were also adopted after the meeting.

The resolutions stated that all the primary members of the Local Development Committee of Andro will not support the Congress to express their angst for not awarding the ticket to Th Shyamkumar.

The Local Development Committee is under the Andro Kendra Development Committee, founded by Shyamkumar.

The other resolutions included, uprooting the Congress from Andro AC for good under the guidance of the Development Committee and to declare the leadership of Congress as enemies of the people and to support the party under which Th Shyamkumar chooses to contest the election.

Apart from burning the effigies of Gandhi, Gaikhangam and Ibobi, the president of the Andro Block Congress Committee led in tearing to shreds the primary membership certificates of the party given to them.

The 19 Congress candidates
FIRST LIST�
1.Lilong-Dr Maniruddin
2.Thoubal-O Ibobi
3.Wangkhem-K Megha
4.Heirok-M Okendro
5.Wangjing TM Hemanta
6.KhangabokO Ibobi
7.Wabagai-Abdul Salam
8.Kakching-Y Surchandra
9.HiyanglamE Dwijamani
10.Sugnu-K Ranjit
11.Phungyar-V Keishing
12.Ukhrul-Aleng Shimrah
13.Chingai-A Aza
14.SaikulC Doungel
15.KarongDD Thaisii
16.MaoRK Theko
17.TadubiFrancis
18.Kpi H Hangshing
19.Saitu-Ngamthang .