Amid surging up of COVID-19 positive in Tamenglong district, Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Tamenglong district on Monday demanded to conduct by-election/fresh election for 53-Tamenglong assembly constituency.
Speaking to Imphal Free Press at the BJP Mandal office in Tamenglong, vice-president of BJP Mahila, Sarah Ngaomei said that following resignation of former MLA Samuel Jendai, his seat in assembly is lying vacant.
“After he resigned from MLA, Samuel Jendai challenged in the court that a by-election could be conducted. Why the government has kept the court case pending and given a chance to elect a new representative”, she said.
While calling attention of the state chief minister and authority concerned to redress the grievances faced by people of Tamenglong amidst pandemic COVID-19, she appealed to conduct by-election for Tamenglong assembly seat.
She also mentioned that the former MLA was elected from the BJP ticket in 2017. He, however, resigned and a by-election should be conducted at the earliest.
Joining with her, secretary of BJP Mahila, Elizabeth stated that due to COVID-19, people of Tamenglong are facing untold inconveniences. Due to lack of specialist doctors in the district hospital, many patients had to be transferred to Imphal but most of them have been brought back dead. Now Irang Bridge which is the only lifeline of Tamenglong district has been cut off. People of Tamenglong district are left alone without any representative, she added.
She also urged the state government to dismiss the court case and conduct by-election at the earliest.
In the meantime, the Rongmei Naga Youth Organisation Tamenglong Luangrian in a press statement demanded the government not to postpone the court case of former MLA Samuel Jendai stating that justice delayed is justice denied.
The statement signed by president of Rongmei Naga Youth Organisation Tamenglong Luangrian, Athuana Kamei said that people of Tamenglong have been left alone despite various shortcomings due to COVID-19. He also appealed the authority concerned to give a verdict instead of repeated postponement.
Another statement issued by Tamenglong District People’s Organisation stated that 53-Tamenglong Assembly constituency has 33,007 voters but has been deprived of normal civil life without assistance and role of constituency elected legislator when his services are most called for since four months from June 18 till October 30.
The statement further asked how long the people of Tamenglong can remain voiceless and silently suffer unnoticed by the outside world.
