IMPHAL, December 26: BJP national president Amit Shah has directed that the upcoming municipal and nagar panchayat elections in Manipur will be conducted under the leadership of BJP State president Th Chaoba informed a highly placed source of the party.
The confirmation was issued late this evening, informed the source.
According to the source, the order said “The term of Manipur State president and executive has completed. As per the directions of the BJP national president Amit Shah, upcoming municipal and nagar panchayat elections in Manipur will be conducted under the leadership of State president Th Chaoba Singh.”
It is also learnt that the arrangement will continue till further instruction from the central leaders.
Sources said the extension order from the national president has come soon after BJP national general secretary (Co-ordination) and in charge North Eastern State Ram Madhop’s two-day visit concluded on December 25.
However, the copy of the order for the extension is yet to reach the BJP Manipur office although the national leaders have already e-mailed it to the BJP Manipur, it said.
On the other hand during his visit to the State, Ram Madhop had conducted a series of meetings with several leaders and discussed the party’s strategy for the upcoming election.
The national leader of the party also held an inclusive meeting with tribal leaders of the party for about 15 minutes inside the party office. He had also met with the Th Chaoba and some office bearers of the BJP Manipur.
He had also met ex-presidents of the party, ex ministers and several in-charge persons for the ensuing municipal and nagar panchayat elections which lasted for more than one hour within closed doors, according to the source.
The source further said that Ram Madhop has instructed the State BJP leaders that they should take the civic body election seriously and as an important chapter of electoral politics of the BJP.
He had also asked the BJP workers and leaders to work unitedly to secure a massive win in the election.
Sources also said that he had expressed happiness over the 181 party candidates for the civic polls and was assured by the party that it will bag at least 10 councils in the election.
Madhop also directed the party officials and the workers not to allow the winning trend of the bye-election to end prematurely.
The central leaders of the party have been closely monitoring the party organisational election in the State, he had told the party’s State leaders.
He had highlighted that Chaoba will continue to look after the BJP Manipur Pradesh for another month and that there will be no change in the present party set-up.
Madhop had also assured maximum moral and logical help to the State leaders in every election and that the recently elected MLAs of the party and the two general secretaries will take responsibility for the civic body polls.
During his stay in the State, it is also learnt that the national leader of the party had met intellectuals of the State seeking suggestions to encourage peace and development in the State.