Imphal, May 23: BJP’s Manipur unit president Th. Chaoba Singh today said he had offered to step down, owning moral responsibility for the party’s poll debacle in the state. The former Union minister of state for youth affairs and sport, who returned here from New Delhi yesterday, said the national leadership of the party had rejected his offer to step down as state unit chief.
He had made the offer to BJP national president M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi after the results of the two Lok Sabha seats of the state were announced. Chaoba Singh said Naidu told him that it was not the right time for such a move, as the party is in a state of shock.
Chaoba Singh’s loss in the election to the Inner seat was attributed to the restrictions imposed on BJP’s electioneering by the banned Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), which had announced a “death sentence” on him.
The outfit, which had issued an ultimatum to the BJP to expel Chaoba Singh, gunned down former state director-general of police Jugeswar Singh in the run-up to the elections. Singh was a relative of the BJP state unit president.
The rebels had also shot at the legs of several party workers for campaigning for Chaoba Singh on the eve of the elections. Chaoba Singh had pulled off a poor fourth in the election.
The other BJP candidate in the state, Dominic Loli Adanee, was defeated by an Independent, Mani Charenamei, in the Outer seat. Adanee blamed “electoral malpractice” by his rival candidate for his defeat. The BJP candidate had secured the second spot in the election.
Chaoba Singh said there was no move to change the BJP’s state unit chiefs at present.
A section of the state BJP leaders are demanding the ouster of Chaoba Singh from the post of the party president, holding him responsible for the party’s electoral rout in the state. Sources said 24 councillors had petitioned the BJP national leadership to replace Chaoba Singh by a more “capable” leader.
Former chief minister and BJP legislature wing leader R.K. Dorendro Singh dismissed the “rebellion” as “insignificant”. He said barring the few councillors, all the party functionaries and senior leaders were with Chaoba Singh.
BJP’s Northeast in-charge V. Satish, who arrived here yesterday, met party leaders today to review the post-poll situation in the state. Besides Chaoba Singh, Satish met Dorendro Singh and party national secretary Meinam Bhorot Singh.
Satish blamed rigging and booth capturing by the ruling Congress for the defeat of the BJP candidates. Satish has come to Imphal to boost the morale of the BJP workers in the wake of the party’s defeat. The state unit is planning to hold a meeting in the first week of next month to review the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections and also to discuss ways to revamp the party.