Imphal, March 04 2009: Gearing up for the parliamentary elections and with a view to beat the Congress in Manipur, Opposition parties of the state have joined hands and declared common candidates for the Outer and Inner Manipur constituencies on Wednesday.

Declaring this during a press conference held at the Manipur People's Party (MPP) office, Dr L Chandramani, president of the MPP informed that the MPP, Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the National Peoples' Party (NPP) after a careful discussion in a meeting resolved to choose common candidates in Professor N.Mohendro, former professor of the Manipur University (MU), economic department for Inner Parliamentary constituency with MPP ticket and LB.

Sona, ex- chairman of the autonomous district council with the ticket of the NCP for the Outer constituency.

Dr L Chandramani also revealed that the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Manipur is also likely to support the joint opposition party, however, added that they were yet to receive official confirmation.

While expressing the need to bring a change in the trouble torn state, the MPP president held that the current Members of Parliament were not doing their jobs and asserted that the issue of Manipur should be tabled at the national level.

Meanwhile, sitting opposition Member of Legislative Assembly and leader of the MPP legislature wing, O.Joy Singh, has sent a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to look into the governor's address in the upcoming first session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly schedule on March 17, 2009. In the letter to the CEC, O.Joy stated that the address of the Governor being a statement of the policy of the government and drafted by the government contains a number of promises, assurance and commitments to the people which may likely influence the mind of the voters in favor of the candidates of the ruling party and may also amount to the violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Further the letter stated that as the Model Code of Conduct has been enforced in the state with effect from March 2, 2009, O Joy called upon the CEC to look into the matter and clarify whether the Governor of Manipur was proper to address the house under the circumstances.

According to reports, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Manipur legislative assembly will fix the period of the assembly session on March 7. Meanwhile, the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP), Manipur Kendra kicked off its campaign Wednesday in Thanga Lawai community in Bishnupur district.

W Nipamacha, former chief minister of the state is the candidate of the BJP for Inner Manipur Constituency.

President of the BJP, H Borobabu and various other functionaries of the party were also present at the campaign kicked off which was attended by hundreds of supporters.

Addressing the campaign, W.Nipamacha held that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would be back to power at the centre defeating the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

In this regard, he also appealed the people of the state for support to bring a new government in the state under the NDA and added that through the new government, the trouble torn situation of the state could be amended.

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