Imphal/Itanagar, June 8: The BJP moved to retain its Rajya Sabha seats in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday as Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi and Tai Tagak filed nominations for the June 18 polls.
In Manipur, state BJP chief Sharda Devi submitted her papers for the lone seat before the Assembly Secretariat with Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and BJP observer Rajdeep Roy in attendance. She pledged to focus on restoring peace and rehabilitating those displaced by ethnic violence. No opposition candidate has entered the fray.
The election was triggered by the June 21 retirement of BJP MP Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba. With 36 MLAs in the 60-member House, the BJP holds a clear path to victory.
In Arunachal, former state BJP president Tai Tagak filed for the state’s lone seat with Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy CM Chowna Mein backing him. Tagak, credited with expanding the BJP’s base in the state, is set to replace outgoing MP Nabam Rebia whose term ends June 23. The BJP’s overwhelming Assembly majority makes his election a formality.
