JD(U), CPM to support Ind candidate
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 04, 2011:
Janata Dal (United) Manipur State unit and Communist Party of India (Marxist) Manipur State unit have announced their decision to support independent candidate Kh Ranjit in the forthcoming by-election to Konthoujam assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, Kh Ranjit has claimed that he would win the by-election by securing 500 to 1000 more votes than both his rival Congress and Trinamool Congress candidates.
On the other hand, MPP and BJP pledged support to Trinamool Congress candidate K Sarat.
Formally announcing their support to independent candidate Kh Ranjit at a press meet today, JD (U) State unit president M Tombi said that the party is supporting the independent candidate in order to defeat the Congress candidate so that there can development in Konthoujam A/C and good governance in Manipur.
Explaining about their decision to support the independent candidate instead of fielding their own candidate, Tombi said that JD (U) State unit could not put up its own candidate as the unit was re-constituted only recently with young people as its members.
Whereas the people of Manipur have already had a taste of Congress party, Trinamool Congress is very new in Manipur.
That was why, JD (U) decided to support the untainted independent candidate.
Charging that Congress-led SPF has failed completely to deliver any good, M Tombi asserted that law and order condition has deteriorated, inflation rate is abnormally high and corruption has percolated to every machinery of the Government.
The prevailing situation demands that youth should join hands and fight the malady collectively, Tombi said.
He also called upon the people to abolish the 'die-in-harness quota' while electing people's representatives.
CPI (M) Manipur State secretary Sarat Salam said that the party decided to support the independent candidate in view of the presence of considerable number of Left party supporters in Konthoujam to defeat the Congress candidate.
He also appealed to the CPI to support the independent candidate.
Peace has been eluding Manipur for the last many years whereas Ministers and high ranking bureaucrats are neck-deep in corruption.
At this critical phase, the by-election to Konthoujam A/C would be the first step towards inflicting a paralysing blow to the Congress party, Sarat Salam said.
He also lambasted Trinamool Congress as a party established by opportunists and rejected by the people.
Independent candidate Kh Ranjit said that he will win the by-election by securing 500 to 1000 more votes than both his rivals.
He resigned from his post of being a Senior Grade Lecturer at DM College to contest the by-election, driven by his desire to bring some development in Konthoujam A/C, Ranjit said.
Clarifying that he did not join the fray for power game, Ranjit conveyed gratitude to JD (U) and CPI (M).
Besides being a non-residential candidate, Congress candidate Dr S Ranjan is not a man who grew up in Konthoujam.
Ranjit went on to say that the last representative from Konthoujam A/C who won on Congress ticket misappropriated about 50 per cent of development funds.
He also distributed some documents in support of his claim.
With regard to restrictions imposed by one UG group, Kh Ranjit said that he did not personally receive any intimation about the restrictions.
Saying that he is not contesting the election because he is rich, Kh Ranjit appealed to all concerned to relax the restrictions.