IMPHAL, Oct 25 - Electioneering is picking momentum with the announcement of by-elections to Thangmeiband and Thongju Assembly constituencies in Imphal West and Imphal East districts.
Political parties particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC) have already launched their campaigns in both the Assembly constituencies.
Both the parties have also sought applications from intending candidates who wish to contest the by-elections. The Trinamool Congress also held a meeting to deliberate on fielding of candidates in the upcoming by-elections.
Though the BJP has no MLA in the 60 member Manipur Assembly, is targeting to secure both the seats in the by-election scheduled to be held on November 21. Byelections will be held on the same date in two Parliamentary Constituencies in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, along with one Assembly Constituency each in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Meghalaya.
The last date for submission of nomination papers is November 4 while scrutiny will be conducted on November 5. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 7 while the polling date has been fixed on November 21. The counting of votes has been fixed on November 24 while the date by which the election should be completed has been fixed on November 26.
By-election in the two Manipur Assembly constituencies was necessitated after the Speaker�s Tribunal disqualified two All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MLAs Kh Joykishan of Thangmeiband and Th Biwajit of Thongju under the anti-defection law on May 28 this year.
According to the Election Office, the total number of voters in Thangmeiband AC is 25,114 while in Thongju AC the total number of voters is 28,214.
