Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has congratulated the two Congress candidates
Imphal/New Delhi:
The BJP government will continue to work with Manipur’s newly elected representatives in the Lok Sabha for growth and development of all sections in the state, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said today, and congratulated the two Congress candidates who won both the seats in the state hit by ethnic violence since May 2023.
The Congress’s Angomcha Bimol Akoijam won by over 3.7 lakh votes in the Inner Manipur constituency. In Outer Manipur seat, the party’s candidate Alfred Kanngam Arthur got over 3.8 lakh votes.
“The public has given its mandate, and what truly matters is that we all aspire for the welfare of all the indigenous people of the state. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, the BJP government will continue to work with the elected representatives towards the growth and development of all sections in the state,” Mr Singh, who is from the BJP, said in a post on X.
The Chief Minister belongs to the valley-dominant Meitei community. The hill-dominant Kuki-Zo tribes have accused him of bias towards his own community in dealing with the ethnic violence.
Mr Singh has refuted the allegations at every turn; for example, often pointing at cases that led to eviction of more people from communities than the Kuki-Zo tribes from forests, citing government records.
“We remain firm in our commitment to work towards serving the masses and building a better Manipur for the future generations,” Mr Singh said in the post on X.
I congratulate INC Candidates Shri @Bimol_Akoijam and Shri Alfred Kanngam S Arthur for their respective victories at 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency and 2-Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency in the 18th Lok Sabha Elections.
The public has given its mandate, and…
— N.Biren Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@NBirenSingh) June 5, 2024
The BJP’s dismal performance in Manipur in the Lok Sabha election mirrored the party at the national level, which could not cross the halfway mark on its own, despite the “400-paar” confidence. It will form government with its partners of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as the combined strength has comfortably crossed the majority mark.
Since the huge wins, the two Congress candidates – Mr Akoijam is a Meitei, and Mr Arthur a Naga – have yet to say how they intend to address the Manipur ethnic crisis. During the campaign, both had spoken about bringing peace and development as their first order of business.