All efforts by political parties to combine the forces against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in Manipur during the coming Lok Sabha elections failed and a multi-cornered contest appeared unavoidable, since, according to them, Congress wanted other parties to support their candidates.

Following failure of talks to forge a unity among all anti-NDA forces, SDF and Congress declared their respective list of candidates for Inner and Outer Manipur constituencies.

Kh. Mani Singh of the MPP is the SDF nominee from Inner Manipur constituency while Th. Gangte from the CPI has been selected as the SDF candidate from the Outer seat.

The Congress has decided to field Nimaichang Lawang, who unsuccessfully contested in the last Lok Sabha elections from Inner Manipur constituency. Member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, Th Chaoba Singh of the MSCP, will try his luck again from Inner seat on an NDA ticket while another member of the dissolved House, Mrs. Kim Gangte of Samata Party, is likely to be nominated by the NDA for Outer Manipur seat. Mrs. Gangte won the Outer Manipur seat last time on a CPI ticket and recently left the party to join Samata Party.

Meanwhile, Oinam Rameo of the Rajiv Congress and Selkai Hrangchal of Rashtriya Janata Dal have also announced their candidatures from Inner and Outer seats respectively.

Thus both the constituencies in the State will witness four-cornered contest with all major political alliances’ candidates in the fray.