People are fed up with Cong rule

IMPHAL: The opposition Manipur People's Party (MPP) and the BJP which had backed Trinamool Congress candidate K Sarat Singh in the bypoll to the Konthoujam constituency in Imphal West on Friday said the results of the election have proved that people are fed up with the ruling Congress.

Defeating his nearest rival Sapam Ranjan of Congress by 655 votes, Sarat sprung a surprise for Trinamool Congress as the Mamata Banerjee-led party, for the first time, found a place in the Manipur assembly. The result of the election was declared on Thursday.

MPP president Nimaichand Luwang said the people of Konthoujam have rejected the Congress despite the

latter "using both money and muscle power" in a desperate bid to win the by-election.

Luwang said the result would have an adverse impact on Congress in the coming 10th Manipur assembly elections likely to be held in the early part of next year.

He added that the people of Manipur were "fed up with the Okram Ibobi Singh government, which has failed to keep prices of all essential commodities, including petroleum products.

BJP's state unit president Sh Shantikumar Sharma said defeat of Congress in the by-election has "closed the chapter of the die-in-harness system of the Congress".