BJP leaders in Manipur had started a campaign with the demands for the ouster of the state unit president Chaoba Thounaojam which is gaining considerable momentum. Mr. Thounaojam who had gone to Delhi to attend the swearing-in function is staying back there to hold the fort since his detractors are also camping in New Delhi.
The ouster campaign is orchestrated by three former Manipur unit BJP presidents, Bhorot Meinam, Borobabu Haobam and Shantikumar Sharma. The leaders said that Mr. Thounaojam is not consulting the senior leaders while allotting the BJP tickets in the Lok sabha elections. Because of the lack of coordination and allotment of the party tickets at his own choice the party could not win both the Lok sabha seats in Manipur.
Mr. Ranjan Rajkumar, the candidate for the general seat was facing the elections for the first time in his life. He was a teacher and environmentalist. On the other hand, Gangmumei Kamei had been a minister in Manipur. The detractors seem to be confident that as soon as a new BJP president is elected he will pay special attention to the goings on in Manipur.
However the group of Mr. Thounaojam is confident that he will be allowed to complete his term which ends in December 2015. Many women members had also left the party when the party ticket was denied to Ms Indira Oinam. She had contested the prestigious Thoubal Assembly constituency against chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh. She lost by a narrow margin. However, Mr. Thounaojam does not have much justification to make his position clear to the BJP national leaders.
