In Bishenpur, Konthoujam Govindas Singh is leading by over 10,000 votes.
The contestants were BJP's Govindas Konthoujam, Congress' Ningthoujam Joykumar Singh and JD (United)'s Oinam Nabikishore Singh.
There was much apprehension when Govindas Konthoujam, veteran Congress leader and prominent politician, had joined the BJP last year. When he resigned from Congress and the state assembly, he had said it was for personal reasons. Later, in a report by ANI, he had been quoted as saying that it was the inaccessibility of Congress party leaders that had decided his course of action. “We had waited for years to meet him (Rahul Gandhi). So, I thought I won’t be able to do work here,” he said.
Elected for five consecutive terms, Konthoujam is a well-known political face in Manipur. A large number of Congress members from Bishnupur constituency left with him to join the BJP.
This constituency has been a Congress bastion for nearly three decades now. So when the man who led the party to its many victories joined the opposing camp, the party leadership immediately called the state leaders for a meeting.
Electoral observers had speculated that Konthoujam could be a chief ministerial prospect, after the results are out. While voters saw his move as opportunistic, political pundits said that it could also be the strategy of senior BJP leaders who want the incumbent CM out.
Among the other candidates in the fray are former chief secretary of Manipur Oinam Nabakishor of the JD(U) and Ningthoujam Joykumar of the Congress.
Oinam, who was the Congress candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, had lost to RK Rajan Singh of the BJP. He later joined the BJP but was denied the party ticket for the 2022 election.
Joykumar was with BJP but he left for Congress after the saffron party denied him a ticket.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
