Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, in consultation with the PCC functionaries in Manipur, have announced the name of Haji Adbul Salam, a former Minister, as the party candidate in the February 7 election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Manipur.
This is the first time in Manipur that a Muslim will become a Rajya Sabha MP. The incumbent, Rishang Keishing, who, at 96, is the oldest MP in the country, has withdrawn from the race due to age factor. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in the last election, although he did not apply.
Talking to The Hindu he had said that physically and mentally he is quite all right. If he is given another chance now, he would go to the Rajya Sabha again despite his old age.
The Congress is banking on the minority votes in Manipur in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. There are two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur.
All these months, the Muslims in Manipur have been saying that because of their small population, no Muslim has been made MP in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. A number of Muslim organisations have said that if a Muslim is not nominated by the Congress to the Rajya Sabha from the State which has 42 party MLAs in the 60-member House, they will boycott the Lok Sabha elections.
There are always between five and six Muslim MLAs in the State Assembly. The party functionaries feel that now that a Muslim is nominated to the Rajya sabha, the community will vote for the Congress candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.
Mr. Salam had been an MLA of the Manipur People's Party. Later, he became a Minister. He then joined the Congress. He had unsuccessfully contested from Hiyanglanglam constituency on the Congress ticket in the 2006 Assembly elections. Sources said that there is resentment among some senior members of the Congress since many of them have been seeking the party ticket.
