BJP selects State Education Minister Basanta Kumar Singh for Inner Manipur LS seat

The ruling BJP in Manipur has announced state Education and Law Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh as its candidate for the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, replacing sitting MP Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. Singh, 59, will face Congress candidate Angomcha Bimol Akoijam in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Basanta Kumar Singh, son of former Union Minister Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, won in the 2022 Assembly elections from Nambol constituency. The BJP’s central leadership had reportedly asked Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to contest in the Inner Manipur seat, but he declined.

Manipur has two Lok Sabha seats, with polling scheduled for April 19 in Inner Manipur and in two phases for Outer Manipur. Biren Singh, a popular leader among various communities in Manipur, is considered essential for maintaining peace amidst ethnic strife in the state.