The term of the current Manipur Legislative Assembly is due to end by second week of March 2012. However, the election is likely to be held in advance with other five states of the country.
In an election related violence on Sunday night, around 7 pm in Imphal East district, miscreants opened fired at a camera meeting and injured one Wahengbam Mani Singh (40 years) on the head by a bullet when the miscreants opened fired at the house of one Md Saliman at Kairang Muslim Leikai.
He was admitted to JNIMS hospital, Porompat. Hospital source said his condition critical but out of danger.
The meeting was arranged by supporters of Naroibam Rosan alias Kapur, an aspirant candidate in the Heingang Assembly constituency where he would be contesting with the incumbent state IFCD minister and ruling SPF’s spokesperson, N Biren Singh. Yet in another election related incident, a woman was kidnapped on September 23 by four persons suspected to be supporters of an aspirant candidate in Heirok Assembly constituency of Thoubal district and freed after she was beaten up badly.
However, the incident came to light only after the elder brother of the victim lodged a complaint with the Thoubal police on Monday. In his report, Ningthoujam Bimol reported that his younger sister Binarani Devi was kidnapped and assaulted before freeing her by four persons on her way home.
She was admitted at Thoubal district hospital, police said, informing about the registration of an FIR case.
On September 21 last three vehicles including one belonging to an aspirant candidate and two hired by him for election campaign were set afire by some armed miscreants hours ahead of a show of strength among three aspirant candidates in Tamenglong district.
The Indian National Congress, the major partner of the ruling SPF government, has already started its election campaign months back. The party is organising a series of block level political conventions to highlight the achievement of SPF rule under the leadership of Chief Minister, Okram Ibobi Singh. The party is highlighting its achievements during its ten years of rule in the state through the media too, particularly through local cable networks, in the form of advertisements.
The CPI, the other partner of the SPF government is taking advantage of celebration of the birth anniversary of Janeta Hijam Irawat, the pioneer of revolutionary movement in the state by organising a month long series of programmes. The programme would culminate on September 30.