Bharatiya Janata Party Inner Manipur constituency nominee Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh has lodged a formal complaint with the returning officer, urging the rejection of Congress candidate Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam’s nomination due to alleged “significant flaws” in the affidavits submitted to the Election Commission.
According to Basanta Kumar, Dr Akoijam erroneously filed nomination papers for a ‘non-existent’ assembly constituency instead of the Lok Sabha election. Basanta Kumar highlighted Dr Akoijam submitted four nomination papers on March 27, under Form 26, citing the fictitious “12th Keishamthong Assembly constituency”, which holds no relevance to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Basanta Kumar’s complaint highlighted multiple violations of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951, pointing out identical errors in all four nomination papers submitted by Dr Akoijam. The crucial discrepancy, Basanta Kumar asserted, lies in the incorrect naming of the constituency contested, with Dr Akoijam erroneously citing the assembly constituency instead of Inner Manipur, where the Lok Sabha election is being conducted.
Basanta Kumar, who also serves as the Manipur Education Minister, asserted this error is more than a mere clerical mistake and violates electoral regulations.
Sources within the Manipur BJP have expressed uncertainty regarding Dr Akoijam’s intentions behind mentioning the assembly constituency, raising questions about potential future political maneuovers.
Efforts to reach Dr Akoijam for comment proved unsuccessful as his phone was switched off. However, his legal team has assured that corrections have been made to the errors and promised further clarification on the matter.
Tags: BJP CandidateCongress CandidateDr Angomcha Bimol AkoijamInner ManipurLok Sabha Elections 2024Non-Existent Assembly ConstituencyThounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh
