IT News
Imphal, 10 November:
In a massive humiliation for the Congress party, NOTA secured more votes than its candidate in the By-Election of Lilong Assembly Constituency. The fight for the Lilong AC was between 2 independent candidates, Y. Antas Khan and Mohd. Abdul Nasir. Congress candidate Md Azizul Haque Khan secured 142 votes and NOTA got 153. Y. Antas Khan secured 16928 votes and defeated Abdul Nasir by a margin of 3000 plus votes.
Meanwhile for Wangjing Tentha AC, Paonam Brojen Singh of Bharatiya Janata Party defeated Indian National Congress candidate Moirangthem Hemanta Singh by a margin of 1560 votes. Brojen managed to secure 15147 votes whereas Hemanta received 13587 votes.
For Wangoi AC, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Oinam Lukhoi Singh defeated National People’s Party’s Khuraijam Loken Singh by a narrow margin of 213 votes. Oinam Lukhoi Singh got 10841 votes and Loken Singh got 10628 votes.
In Saitu Assembly Constituency, Ngamthang Haokip of BJP is leading over Lamtinthang Haokip of INC by 12,444 votes as of this reporting.
Just before the By-Elections 2020, the strength of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly was reduced to 47 with 13 MLAs either being resigned or disqualified from the house. Of the existing 47 members, the BJP and the Congress are having 18 and 17 MLAs respectively, while NPP and NPF has 4 members each, one each of LJP and AITC along with one independent and an unattached member. The present BJP-led government is being supported by four MLAs each of NPP and NPF, one each of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), one Independent and one unattached member.
However in the run-up to the By-Elections 2020, BJP has added two more MLAs into its account with the election of one unopposed BJP candidate Ginsuanhau Zou from 60-Singhat A/C and another BJP candidate of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly Elections 2017 Mayanglangbam Rameshwar, by virtue of the High Court of Manipur’s verdict declaring election of Y. Surchandra from Kakching A/C as null and void. As the results of the By-Elections to four A/Cs declared today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consolidated its strength by winning three of the four seats – 22-Wangoi A/C, 34-Wangjing-Tentha A/C, 51-Saitu (ST). With seven vacant seats in the house of 60 members, the present effective strength of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly now stands at 53 with BJP having 23 MLAs, INC with 17, four each of NPP and NPF, one each of LJP and AITC and one unattached member. The number of Independent member has increased to two.