Our Correspondent
Imphal | January 15
With the counting of votes for the local body elections in Manipur entering the final lap, the Congress is poised for victory as it has so far won 82 seats while Independents got 61 trailing behind it.
The BJP has won 37 seats in the results declared so far for the local body elections held on January 11 in 18 Municipal Councils and eight Nagar Panchayats to elect 279 Councillors and 558 Ward Development Committee members from four valley districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal and Bishnupur.
INC got five seats and four by Independents in Sugnu Municipal Council. In Bishnupur, the INC won 25 seats, 24 by BJP, 11 by Independents and two by CPI. INC got three seats and two by BJP in Moirang Municipal Council’s 12 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got seven seats in Imphal West’s Mayang Imphal Municipal Council where Independents won four and 2 by INC which won seven seats in Sekmai Nagar Panchayat where and the BJP and Independent got one seat each. In Wangoi Municipal Council of the district, Independents got six seats and three by INC.
In Thoubal, Independents won 15 seats while INC got only one. Two candidates had already been declared elected unopposed in the election held for 18 Municipal Councils in the district. INC got five seats while Independents won four in Lilong Nagar Panchayat which has nine seats. Independents got five seats while INC won four in Yairipok. BJP got seven seats, one each seats by INC and Independent in Kakching Khunou. The INC won seven seats, three by BJP and two by Independents in Kakching Municipal Council. Of the 10 seats in Jiribam Municipal Council under Imphal East, the INC and Independents got five seats each. In Imphal East’s Andro Nagar Panchayat which has 11 seats, INC got majority winning six seats. The BJP won three seats and two by Independents in the Nagar Panchayat.
The local body elections had been a prestige fight for the Okram Ibobi led Congress government in view of the upcoming state assembly polls to be held next year. The ruling Congress suffered a setback in the recent by-polls held for two assembly seats in Imphal after the BJP managed to open its account in the 60-member assembly wining both seats.
