IMPHAL, November 22: The State unit of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) needs to unite and stop the factionalism among its leaders to strengthen the party ahead of the next assembly elections, stated Dr Yumnam Radheshyam who represented the TMC in the recent Hiyanglam bye-elections.
Talking to media persons this evening at a press meet at the UCO Bank building, Mantripukhri, he said the national spokesperson of the All India Trinamool Congress, Derek O`™ Brien announced the probable candidates of the party for the upcoming Assembly elections in 2017.
Radheshyam who has been announced as the candidate for the Hiyanglam AC seat again opined that it would be better to create unity among the party leaders before making the announcement of the list of probable candidates.
After his defeat in the recent bye poll, he said he learned that the main factor of his defeat was the declaration of the names of two candidates by rival factions of the Trinamool Congress which created confusion among the people.
During the election campaign, there was no collective support from the party MLAs to convince the people of Hiyanglam, he added.
Above all, the disqualification cases filed by party MLAs against each other were also another factor, he opined.
He appealed to both the leaders of the rival factions, Th Shyamkumar and Kh Joykisan, to take some concrete steps to unite rather than fight each other; and concentrate on strengthening the party instead.
Let us create a clean image of the party before the people of Manipur and show unity among the MLAs of Trinamool Congress before it is too late, he said making an earnest request.
Radheshyam said that he had faced lots of problems in Hiyanglam after the names of two candidates of the rival factions of the Trinamool Congress were announced. People were really confused in the recent bye-polls, he said while expressing his desire to strengthen the party by displaying unity among the party members so that people start believing in the party again.