IMPHAL, May 13 – Dr Thokchom Meinya of the Indian National Congress (inc) has succeeded in wresting the Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency in the 14th Lok Sabha polls from three times sitting mp, Thounaojam Chaoba of the Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) by a landslide margin. Chaoba, a former Union Minister of State for Sports, had been elected as mp thrice on a Manipur State Congress Party (mscp) ticket. He also won the same seat on a Congress ticket in 11th Lok Sabha. But he was defeated this time.
Dr Meinya, who is also the Higher and Technical Education Minister with the ruling Congress-led Secular Progressive Front (spf) government in the State, secured 1,54,019 votes and managed to pull off a lead of 49,769 votes more than his nearest rival, Dr Moirangthem Nara of the Communist Party of India (cpi). Popular State Arts and Culture Minister, Dr Moirangthem Nara got 1,04,718 votes, according to Y Surchandra, Returning Officer of the Lok Sabha poll while former Deputy Chief Minister Dr Leishangthem Chandramani of the Federal Party of Manipur (fpm) succeeded in getting 88,133 votes to be third on the list.
Former mp Thounaojam Chaoba who has already served three terms as mp in the Lok Sabha – 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabha – was nowhere near the top three on the list. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Chaoba on an mscp ticket had defeated his nearest rival, Khaidem Mani of the Manipur Peoples' Party (mpp) by 8,195 votes. Chaoba, besides being the president of the state bjp unit, is a former Union Minister.
This time round, the former Union Minister could manage only a paltry 66,476 votes, perhaps a direct result of the ban imposed on him and his party by an underground outfit during the Lok Sabha elections.
Chaoba's candidacy has been under a cloud as banned Yawol Kanna Lup (kykl) had asked for the ouster of Chaoba from the bjp in two separate diktats issued against the bjp Manipur state unit in January and again in March this year. The outfit had further banned all election activities while also stating that all functionaries and workers of the bjp should resign from the party or else face the death sentence.
Meanwhile, the other two candidates in the fray, both of them Independent candidates, failed to make any mark. While Nongmaithem Iboyaima Singh got 1651 votes, N Homendro Singh could scrap up only 1356 votes in the recent polls.
This time of the total 7,40,716 electorate in the Inner Manipur parliamentary seat, only about 4,16,353 cast their votes,official sources said.
Meinya’s priority: Solving the insurgency problem that has been plaguing the State for the past few decades through political dialogue is the first on the ‘to do’ list of the newly-elected Member of Parliament from the Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency, Dr Thokchom Meinya.
Speaking to the press soon after receiving the certificate that proclaimed him as the people’s new representative to the 14th Lok Sabha, Dr Meinya stated that a solution to the prevailing insurgency problem in the state is possible only through meaningful political dialogue. When asked if he would take up a Union Ministership, he said, "that is the prerogative of the new Prime Minister."
Fifty-nine-year-old Dr Thokchom Meinya holds an honours in Maths from dm college of Science in Manipur, an Masters in Maths and a Law degree from Gauhati University, Assam, besides an M Phil and Phd degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Osmania University, Hyderabad.
He resigned from his job as lecturer and Head of Department of Mathematics in Imphal College here to contest the 8th Manipur Legislative Assembly elections in 2002. Luckily, he got elected in the first try itself and held a portfolio of State Higher and Technical Education Minister with the ruling Secular Progressive Front (spf) government in Manipur. He will be handing in his resignation from the said post soon as per constitutional law.
Dr Meinya lives in Joypur Khul of Khumbong area in Imphal West district with his wife and two children – a son and a daughter.
Outer Manipur: Counting for the Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency is scheduled to be held on May 19 after repolls in 21 polling booths on May 17. Chief Minister and State Congress president Okram Ibobi stated that he expected a Congress-led government at the Centre this time round.
“The success of the Congress candidate in the Lok Sabha elections should not be viewed only as a victory in an election, but as a victory in gaining a clear mandate of the people,” he observed further. He recalled that the Congress had faced threats from “different angles” during the run-up to the recent Lok Sabha elections. The Chief Minister did not name any particular group.
It may be recalled that proscribed outfit, Revolutionary People’s Front (rpf) had in a statement boycotted all candidates put up by the All India Congress Committee (aicc) and the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (mpcc), charging that the Congress-led ruling Secular Progressive Front (spf) government is squarely responsible for the underdevelopment and rampant violation of human rights by security forces in the State.
Meanwhile, the newly elected Lok Sabha mp from the Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency, Dr T Meinya stated that his priority is solving the insurgency problem that has been plaguing the State for the past few decades through political dialogue. A solution to the prevailing insurgency problem in the State will automatically lead to a conducive atmosphere for peace and development in the State, he added. The State council of ministers, executive members of the Congress party and hundreds of party workers attended the reception.