A file photo of Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi[/caption]IMPHAL: With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, BJP has formally inaugurated its campaign in strife-torn Manipur. The party's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, is scheduled to address a rally each in a hill and a valley district on February 8.
On Saturday, a huge political conference-cum-mass enrollment camp for the saffron party was held at Kongba in Imphal East and Khangabok in Thoubal district.
BJP's national leaders, including vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman and member of the northeast election campaign committee P B Acharya addressed the gathering along with state unit leaders.
Though the party is yet to announce candidates for the Inner and Outer Manipur parliamentary constituencies, at least seven aspiring candidates have already sought tickets.
The Outer Manipur constituency covers the hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Chandel and portions of the valley at Thoubal and Imphal East districts. The Inner Manipur seat comprises Imphal West, Bisnupur and the remaning chunks of Imphal East and Thoubal districts.
"We are expecting some more people to seek tickets and the final selection would be done by our central party leaders," state BJP secretary (media affairs), L Bashanta Sharma told TOI.
Gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, BJP has already set up a state-level political affairs committee. Though it has never won a Lok Sabha seat in the state, state unit president and former Union minister, Thounoujam Chaoba announced the party's induction of a bunch of political heavyweights, including former legislators, a couple of days ago.
BJP made an entry into the 60-member Manipur assembly, when the late E Kunjakishore won from Imphal's prestigious Yaiskul constituency in 1995.
Later, it grabbed six and four seats in the 2000 and 2002 state assembly elections respectively before being humiliated in the 2007 polls.
~TOI
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