Correspondent
IMPHAL, OCTOBER 6
[dropcap]U[/dropcap]nion Home Minister Kiren Rijiju, the face of BJP in the North East India, visited Manipur today to join the ongoing election campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate M Dhanabir in the ensuing by-poll in Hiyanglam assembly constituency.
On his arrival, the union minister addressed an election rally at Sekmaijin area which is the home constituency of the BJP candidate.
He appealed the party workers who turned out in 3000 plus to strive all-out to win the Hiyanglam assembly constituency which falls under Thoubal district.
“BJP has no MLA in Manipur’s 60 member assembly. So the victory of Dhanabir will make a new beginning for the party in the forthcoming state assembly elections,” said the visiting BJP leader who represents Arunachal (West) parliamentary constituency, the fourth largest parliamentary constituency in the country.
“Manipuris are clean people both traditionally and culturally, but the State and Imphal town looks different due to lack of proper governance in the state,” he added.The union minister of state also addressed the party functionaries at their Keishampat office prior to his departure for the National capital in the afternoon.
There at the party office, he expressed his hope that the party candidate will win the by-election (of Hiyanglam). He also underlined the need for strengthening the party in Manipur.
BJP Manipur Pradesh President, Th Chaoba, former state unit president and ex-MLA Meinam Bhorot, former president Sh Shantikumar, former speaker of Manipur Assembly Dr Sapam Dhananjoy Singh and other key functionaries also attended the day’s brief meeting at the party office.
A total of five candidates are in the fray for the ensuing by-poll in Hiyanglam assembly constituency scheduled on October 17.
They are M Dhanabir (BJP), son of former MLA Kunjo; former MLA E. Dwijamani (Congress); Dr Y Radheshyam (Trinamool Congress), M Amutombi (Manipur People’s Party) and Th Laiba (Manipur State Congress Party).
The by-election to the Hiyanglam constituency was necessitated after the untimely expiry of the sitting MLA Maibam Kunjo of Trinamool Congress in the first week of September this year.
