The nomination papers filed by candidates were taken up for scrutiny by the returning officer, No. 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency at Lamphelpat on Thursday, after the completion of the filing of nomination papers for the forthcoming 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency Election.
The scrutiny session commenced at 11 am at the office of the returning officer was chaired by returning officer, No. 1-Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency Th Kirankumar.
Candidates, election agents, proposers, general observer and officials of the Imphal West DEO were present in the scrutiny.
In a surprising turn of events, popular actor-turned-politician RK Somendro, widely known as Kaiku, who was fielded as the candidate of Manipur People's Party (MPP), has decided to contest the Inner Parliamentary seat of Manipur as an independent candidate.
This decision came after his nomination as a candidate of the MPP was rejected during scrutiny due to irregularities detected in the party's documents. However, the authority approved Kaiku as an independent candidate.
Despite the setback, Kaiku remained resolute in his determination to serve Manipur and vowed to continue his electoral campaign under the banner of independent candidacy.
The unexpected development unfolded following the rejection of Kaiku's nomination by electoral authorities during the scrutiny process.
Kaiku expressed that his unwavering commitment to the betterment of Manipur remains intact, and affirmed his resolve to continue his electoral journey despite the obstacles encountered.
“I will not step back, I will contest the election for the better cause of Manipur,” declared Kaiku.
Emphasising his allegiance to the Manipur People's Party (MPP), he reiterated his affiliation with the oldest and only regional party rooted in Manipur.
“Although I will be an independent candidate, I will still be working together with the MPP,” said Kaiku. With the backing of the Manipur People's Party, albeit under the independent banner, Kaiku seeks to harness grassroots support and leverage his popularity to advance the socio-political landscape of Manipur.
Election Affairs general secretary of MPP LC Deven announced that the MPP will fully support Kaiku in the election and called on the people of the state to regard Kaiku still as an MPP candidate though he will be officially contesting as an independent candidate in the election.
As many as seven candidates filed nominations to contest in the inner parliamentary seat of Manipur.
They are RPI (Athawale) candidate Maheshwar Thounaojam; BJP candidate Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh; INC candidate Angomcha Bimol Akoijam; Rashtriya Janhit Sangharsh Party candidate Moirangthem Totomshana Nongshaba; Universal Family Party candidate Ngasepam Nilakanta Singh, independent candidate Haorungbam Sarat Singh and MPP candidate RK Kaiku.
Similar to Kaiku, Moirangthem Totomshana Nongshaba, who filed his nomination papers from Rashtriya Janhit Sangharsh Party (RJSP), was also accepted as an independent candidate, post scrutiny.
All the nominations were accepted, except for the candidature of Ngasepam Nilakanta Singh, who filed his nomination from Universal Family Party, was rejected after scrutiny.
