Imphal: Security tightened at BJP office after the party named candidates for Assembly elections 2022  |  Photo Credit: ANI
Imphal: The BJP on Sunday announced the names of all candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Manipur, sparking outrage and protests from several quarters. Security was tightened at the party office in the state capital as ticket aspirants and their supporters burnt effigies of central and state party leaders, torched party flags and posters, and allegedly forced the closure of a few party offices. Sloganeering was also seen in different parts of Manipur.
While poll officials have so far remained tight-lipped about the situation, BJP leaders in Imphal insist that “minor discontent” had been expressed by some members of the party and that the situation was “manageable”. BJP party offices were ransacked in different parts of the state and several party leaders also resigned from the primary membership of the BJP.
The saffron party which had formed the Manipur government in 2017 by allying with two local factions on Sunday announced its intent to contest all 60 seats in the state. But as the party looks to win two-thirds of the seats in the upcoming polls, several loyalists had been left out of the candidate list to accommodate defectors.
More to come…