Imphal, March 1: Voting for the two-phase Manipur Assembly elections began yesterday with 38 constituencies spread across five districts including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi casting their ballot. Elections to the remaining 22 constituencies will take place in the second phase on March 5.

While the BJP had formed the government in 2017 after stitching together an alliance with the National People's Party, Naga People's Front and the Lok Janshakti Party, they are now fighting solo on all 60 seats. The Congress meanwhile is part of a 6-party grouping called Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA) alongside the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Janata Dal (Secular).

The second phase of polling will be a litmus test for former chief minister and Congress leader O Ibobi Singh, former deputy chief minister Gaikhangam, incumbent ministers Letpao Haokip (sports), Losii Dikho (public health engineering), Awangbow Newmai (forest) from Thoubal, Nungba, Tengnoupal, Mao and Tamei constituencies, respectively.  Assembly Elections 2022: BJP's Double Engine Govt Has Laid Foundation for Manipur's Future Development, Says PM Narendra Modi

Okram Ibobi Singh is a India National Congress leader who served as the Chief Minister of Manipur from March 7, 2002 - 15 March 2017. In 2017 Assembly Elections, Okram Ibobi Singh defeated Leithnthem Basanta Singh and Irom Sharmila.

In 2012, Singh helped his party win the state election for the third time with an absolute majority securing 42 out of the total 60 assembly seats, brushing aside anti-incumbency factor once again.

Gaikhangam is a INC candidate from Nungba constituency in the 2022 Manipur Assembly elections. Nungba Legislative Assembly seat comes under Tamenglong district of Manipur. This seat is reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. Elections on Nungba seat will be held in the second phase on March 3. This area is a Congress stronghold. Apart from Congress, Manipur Hills Union has won this seat once and Federal Party of Manipur twice. From 2002 to the 2017 assembly elections, senior Congress leader Gaikhangam Gangmei has been elected MLA. In the 2022 elections also, the party has made him its candidate. Manipur Assembly Elections 2022: From Heingang to Thoubal Vidhan Sabha Seat; Here Are Five Key Constituencies 

Manipur youth affairs and sports minister Letpao Haokip joined BJP in December last Year leaving the National People’s Party. Tegnoupal is among the 20 constituencies in the hills districts that will vote in the second of the two-phase assembly election, on March 5. As of February 26, there was no sign of any electoral campaign in the Kuki tribe-dominated Govajang, just like several other villages on the hills in this remote constituency. 

Losii Dikho of Naga Peoples Front was elected MLA in the assembly elections of 2012 and 2017. For the first time in the 2017 elections, the BJP came second. In the 2012 assembly elections, Losi Dikho of the Naga People's Front (NPF) defeated Congress candidate P.T. Arhi (P.T. Arhi) by a total of 8,930 votes. In this election, the NPF candidate got a total of 21,634 votes, while the Congress candidate got 12,704 votes. Trinumal Congress damaged the Congress vote in this election. The TMC candidate got a total of 10,508 votes. In the 2012 elections, the NPF got 48.24%, the Congress 28.33% and the Trinamool Congress 23.43% in the Mau assembly seat.

Awangbow Newmai who represents Tamei Assembly constituency in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, handled the portfolios of Forest, Environment & Climate change and sericulture in the Manipur Government. In Manipur Assembly Election 2017, NPF candidate Awangbow Newmai won Tamei constituency seat beating BJP candidate Z. Kikhonbou Newmai by a margin of 747 votes. In 2017, the total voters in Tamei constituency were 36427.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 01, 2022 11:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).