18 including 9 Congress ADC members join BJP
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 28 2015 :
In a major blow to the State ruling Congress party ahead of the crucial ADC polls, altogether 18 persons, including nine ADC members from the INC, joined the Manipur BJP on Tuesday.
State BJP chief Th Chaoba felicitated them during a simple function at the party office here at Nityaipat Chuthek.
"All of them have been inducted into the BJP fold," Chaoba announced.
Buoyed by the new development, Chaoba said his party would show its 'real power' in the upcoming Autonomous District Council (ADC) polls scheduled to be held on June 1 .
The polls to the six ADCs having a total of 144 seats will witness a three-cornered fight among BJP, Congress and Naga People's Front (NPF) .
Flanked by BJP National Executive Member Tapir Gao, he was confident of winning at least four ADCs in the polls.
He informed that a total of 340 aspirant candidates have so far sought BJP tickets for the ensuing polls.
The State BJP leader reiterated that BJP will field its candidates for all the ADC seats and added that names of candidates will be announced after the official election notification.
Attacking Congress which is expected to be the nearest rival of BJP in the ADC polls, Chaoba said decades of Congress rule has neglected the hill districts.
He said proper development works have not yet been taken up in the hills though the Congress led Government came to power three times.
Okram Ibobi had been the chief minister in all terms.
The former MP alleged that there is no sufficient safe drinking water in the hills, road connectivity is not improved and PDS items have failed to reach there.
He promised that his party will bring in a new face of change in the hills.
Calling BJP a secular party, he said now the party has become the largest political group in the world and that now it has over 10 crore members.
Tapir Gao, who arrived here as a national observer for the ADC polls, said that only the BJP will determine the future of Manipur.
He said corruption is widespread in the Ibobi Government and called on the people to focus on BJP for bringing about a new change in the State.
The 18 people who have newly joined the BJP include former MLA Khangthuanang, retired IAS officer Sword vashum, Nasiruddin Khan and Dr Y Antas Khan, both sons of former Congress minister Alauddin Khan, and Th Sheityabarata, who contested last Assembly polls from Yaiskul constituency and Binod, former president of Manipur People's Party (MPP) Youth Front.