By-polls to 4 ACs: BJP bags all but one, tally increases to 23
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 10 2020: Ruling BJP has bagged three Assembly seats out of four which went to by-polls on November 7 with one Independent capturing Lilong seat.

Votes were counted starting from 8 am today and results were declared today itself.

Opposition Congress which contested in all the four Assembly segments drew blank.

BJP's Oinam Lukhoi who is also the Minister of Agriculture retained Wangoi seat.

He defeated his closest rival NPP's Khuraijam Loken by a slender margin of 257 votes.

While Lukhoi secured 10,960 votes, Loken received 10,703 votes.

INC's Salam Joy managed to garner 5591 votes.

96 voters opted for NOTA.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, Lukhoi who then contested as a Congress candidate narrowly beat Loken by 36 votes, securing 7443 votes while Loken with the NPP secured 7407 votes.

Independent candidate Abdul Nasir who was supported by BJP lost Lilong Assembly seat to independent candidate Yumkhaibam Antas Khan.

Whereas Antas Khan secured 17,106 votes, Abdul Nasir got 14,028 votes which means there was a margin of 3078 votes.

Opposition Congress was nowhere in the contest as its candidate Azizul Haque Khan secured just 142 votes, even lower than NOTA's 153 .

In Wangjing-Tentha AC, BJP's Paonam Brojen defeated his nearest rival M Hemanta of Congress party by 1513 votes.

Brojen secured 15,321 votes against 13,808 votes garnered by Hemanta.

Independent candidate Sarangthem Manaobi secured 331 votes.

In Saitu AC, BJP's Ngamthang Haokip stole the show by defeating his Congress rival Lamtinthang Haokip by a huge margin of 12,257 votes.

He secured 24549 votes while Lamtinthang Haokip managed to garner just 12,292 votes.

Speaking to media persons after receiving the certificate of election from the RO concerned, Oinam Lukhoi said that he felt elated on winning the people's mandate for the second time in a row.

He said that he would now focus on the portfolios of which he is in-charge and work for the welfare of the hill people and valley people under the leadership of Chief Minister N Biren.

Notably, three of the four victorious candidates are defectors.

Oinam Lukhoi, Paonam Brojen and Ngamthang Haokip were all Congress men and they won their respective Assembly seats on Congress tickets in the State Assembly election held in 2017.But they defected from Congress party, joined BJP sometime back and faced the by-election.

With the election of its three candidates, BJP's strength in the State Assembly has risen from 18 to 23 .

Although Singngat AC too was among the Assembly segments notified by the Election Commission of India for by-election, BJP's Ginsuanhau won the Assembly seat unchallenged.

Further, M Rameshwar was sworn in as the MLA of Kakching AC on Monday.

BJP managed to win 21 seats in the State Assembly election held in 2017 but their strength was reduced to 18 after three BJP MLAs resigned in June this year.

Now, they have 23 MLAs following the election of four MLAs through the by-election and the High Court's verdict which literally installed BJP's M Rameshwar as the MLA of Kakching AC.

In the 60-Member State Assembly, the ruling coalition has 34 MLAs.

BJP's coalition partners NPP has four MLAs', NPF four, AITC one, LJP one and Independent one.

Opposition Congress which won 28 seats and was the single largest party in the 2017 State Assembly election has now just 16 MLAs.

Notably, Independent MLA Y Antas Khan and unattached member RK Imo are yet to join any political party.

Further, eight Assembly seats are currently lying vacant.

The vacant Assembly seats are Kumbi, Andro, Lamlai, Wangkhei, Saikul, Naoriya Pakhanglakpa, Tamenglong and Henglep.

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