The National People's Party (NPP) on Tuesday dropped the name of party's candidate Sapam Kangleipal Meitei of Lamlai Assembly constituency from the party's final list of candidates, after finding out that there are pending criminal cases against him.
With the dropping of Kangleipal from the NPP’s final candidate list, the party now has only 41 candidates in fray for the Manipur Assembly Elections 2022.
Kangleipal who is a former leader of a proscribed group Maoist joined NPP on February 3 in the presence of NPP national president Conrad K Sangma and was awarded the NPP ticket on the same day along with eight other candidates.
Following it, Kangleipal filed his nomination as an independent candidate at the office of RO Lamlai in Imphal East on Monday.
As per the election affidavit, Kangleipal has a total of 24 FIR cases filed against him under various sections which includes criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy, being member of terrorist organisation, cyber terrorism, attempt to murder among others.
However charges have not been framed against him and have not been convicted for any of the offences.
The value of his assets is worth only Rs 34,975, where Rs 20,000 cash is in his hand and the remaining Rs 14,975 is in his bank account. He is a farmer-cum-social worker and his source of income is the income from agricultural products, as per the affidavit.
Kangleipal, while speaking to the media on Tuesday at the Manipur Press Club, Imphal, said, “I feel no shame as the charges against me is for being a member of a revolutionary group and not for crimes like drug peddling and I do not have any hard feelings with the NPP for rejecting me as their candidate”
“As I come out to serve the people of Lamlai with the ideology to make a progressive Lamlai constituency in every aspect. I filed a nomination as an independent candidate to fight the election,” he added.
Kangleipal also informed that he will be supporting the new government of Manipur if he is being elected as an MLA.
