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Bypolls to four Manipur Assembly seats today

By Correspondent - 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM GMT

IMPHAL, Nov 6 - A total of 1,33,136 voters, including 67,182 females, will decide the fate of 11 candidates in the by-elections to four Assembly constituencies in Manipur tomorrow, official sources stated. Voting will take place from 7 am to 5 pm in 203 polling stations across the four constituencies � Lilong and Wangjing-Tentha in Thoubal district, Wangoi in Imphal West district and Saitu in Kangpokpi district. The counting of votes will be held on November 10.

Polling personnel have already departed for their respective stations, stated Manipur Chief Electoral Officer PK Singh. This time the polling time has been extended by one hour (till 5 pm). For the first time, the latest Mark III EVMs will be used in the State by-elections, Singh said. Five companies of the Central Armed Police Forces and the State police will be deployed for the smooth conduct of the by-elections. Around 2,000 polling personnel will man the polling stations.

The ruling BJP has fielded three candidates � including Agriculture Minister Oinam Lukhoi � in the Wangoi, Wangjing-Tentha and Saitu Assembly constituencies. It is supporting Independent candidate Md Abdul Nasir in the Lilong constituency. The other two BJP candidates in fray are Ngamthang Haokip at Saitu and Paonam Brojen at Wangjing-Tentha.

The Opposition Congress has put up candidates in all the four constituencies. They are Moirangthem Hemanta Singh (Wangjing-Tentha), Salam Joy Singh (Wangoi), Md Azizul Haque Khan (Lilong) and Lamtinthang Haokip (Saitu).

The National People�s Party (NPP), which is the BJP�s coalition partner in the ruling front, has fielded Khuraijam Loken as its candidate in the Wangoi constituency.

Earlier, two candidates had withdrawn their nomination papers in Lilong and one in Singhat, leaving the latter seat for BJP candidate Ginsuanhau who has been elected unopposed.

The by-elections to these constituencies were necessitated after the sitting MLAs resigned from the Manipur Legislative Assembly in August this year.