Imphal: Despite being a member of the coalition of 10 ‘like-minded’ parties in Manipur, led by the Congress, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has decided to field Laishram Sotinkumar as its candidate for the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, as announced on Saturday.
According to a CPI leader, the decision to nominate Sotinkumar, a former state council secretary, was made during the party’s national executive meeting held on March 14.
Sotinkumar, a seasoned leader within the Left, currently holds the position of General Secretary of the AITUC in Manipur.
Both the ruling BJP and the principal opposition Congress have yet to unveil their respective candidates for the upcoming elections.
Manipur is slated to vote for two Lok Sabha seats — Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur (ST) — in two phases on April 19 and April 26, respectively.
In the wake of last year’s outbreak of ethnic violence in Manipur, the Congress-led alliance has actively organized numerous protests and initiatives advocating for the restoration of peace and normalcy in the state.
Apart from the Congress and the CPI, the alliance comprises the Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress, CPI-M, Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Shiv Sena-UBT, Janata Dal-United, and the Nationalist Congress Party.