Congress names Bimol Akoijam, Alfred Kanngam for LS polls
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, March 22 2024: Rolling up the sleeves for the upcoming elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has officially announced its candi dates with JNU, Delhi professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam and former Ukhrul MLA Alfred Kanngam Arthur respectively nominated to contest from the Inner and Outer parliamentary constituencies.

Manipur unit alliance partners of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance, a political alliance of like-minded parties, have also resolved to support the Congress candidates.

The announcement was made by Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president K Meghachandra in the presence of CLP leader and former CM Okram Ibobi Singh and other Congress leaders.

Addressing media persons after a meeting convened to finalise party's candidates for the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Okram Ibobi said that the candidates of the Congress have been announced after discussion with the INDIA Manipur Bloc.

Declaring that the issues besieging Manipur will be jointly dealt with at the state, regional and national level, he informed that the unanimous decision to field consensus candidates has been taken as the alliance has firm resolve to expose wrongdoings and anti-people policies of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government, dilution of the essence of democracy and indifferent attitude of the state government over the prevailing crisis situation in the state.

After minutely discussing the unrest situation and with an aim to defeat the BJP and its alliance partners, the names of the 'formidable' contenders to vie for parliamentary seats representing the state have been announced, Ibobi maintained.

The former chief minister also said that INDIA Manipur Bloc strongly condemns arrest of Jharkhand chief minister Hemanta Soren and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

He then appealed all to help defeat the PM Modi led NDA government terming the coalition government as greatest threat to democratic principles.

So far, besides the Congress, the Naga People's Front (NPF) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have already declared their candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

On Thursday, NPF officially handed over the party ticket to K Timothy Zimik, a former principal chief commissioner of Income Tax, Ministry of Finance (Revenue), for the Outer Manipur seat, while the CPI has named Laishram Sotinkumar Singh as its candidate in the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.

Sotinkumar has served as the general secretary (Manipur unit) of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and former state secretary of the party.

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