Days after the BJP said it will be supporting the NDA candidate for the Outer Manipur seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the party on Tuesday declared its candidate for Inner Manipur.
For the other seat in the state, the BJP has decided to field Th Basanta Kumar Singh, replacing sitting MP and union minister Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. He is a sitting MLA and minister in the N Biren Singh-led government. Elected in 2022, he holds the education portfolio of the state.
Chief minister N Biren Singh congratulated Basanta Kumar Singh and said he has an “excellent track record in serving the public”.
I heartily congratulate Shri @thbasantasingh on being nominated as the candidate of BJP Manipur Pradesh for Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency. With an excellent track record in serving the public in various capabilities, Shri Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh is the right… pic.twitter.com/FmA7u3yavd
— N.Biren Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@NBirenSingh) March 26, 2024
Manipur BJP president A Sharada Devi also took to X to congratulate the MLA.
Congratulations to Hon'ble Minister, Shri @Th. Basanta Kumar Singh on his nomination as the BJP candidate from Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency for the Parliamentary Election 2024! pic.twitter.com/PayyLdbVTZ— Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi (Modi Ka Parivar) (@AShardaDevi) March 26, 2024
A lawyer by education, Basanta was elected from Nambol assembly segment in the Bishnupur district. A former IPS officer, his father Th Chaoba Singh also served as a minister of state for culture, youth affairs and sports in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.
The 59-year-old will be up against a consensus candidate of 10 opposition parties – Angomcha Bimol Akoijam of the Congress, who has been a professor in the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.
Basanta’s father was the former state BJP president and played a vital role in strengthening the saffron cadre in the northeastern state. He is a Meitei, and replaced Rajkumar Ranjan, who also belongs to the same community.
Many had asked chief minister Biren Singh to contest the general elections from the state but with this declaration, the picture is clear.
“He (Biren Singh) communicated to the (BJP) top leadership that his priority is to work in the state and to ensure peace in the region,” a source told News18.
Amid challenges posed by the ethnic tension and violence since May last year, Manipur is set to vote in two phases like last time. The voting for the Inner Manipur seat will be held on April 19, while voting for the Outer Manipur seat will be held in two phases with some parts on April 19 and the remaining on April 26. In 2019, Outer Manipur recorded more than 84 percent voting while Inner Manipur witnessed 81 percent.
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