Assembly elections: Manipur Congress plans Goa-like loyalty oath for its nominees

GUWAHATI: Congress is planning a Goa-type firewall of oath to stop defections after the party lost 42% of its legislators to BJP over the past five years in Manipur that goes to the polls this February-March. The first switchover happened the day after the 2017 poll results and it took BJP’s five-party, last-minute alliance past the halfway mark in the 60-member assembly.
Congress has now proposed the oath of allegiance for its candidates in Manipur to avoid any loss of face this time.The party took its candidates to a temple, a mosque and a church in poll-bound Goa last Saturday and they pledged to never leave the party after getting elected.
“We are contemplating some kind of oath of allegiance after we give them the tickets. It is not that we distrust anybody. It is not that there is lack of confidence. We know very well that these people to be fielded by the party are totally Congressmen. They will remain Congressmen in pain, agony or happiness. But we need some kind of oath of allegiance,” AICC observer for Manipur and member of the screening committee Pradyut Bordoloi said.
Five years ago, Congress finished as the single largest party with 28 of the 60 seats, but was denied a fourth straight term by a dramatic turn of events marked by a defection and a post-poll alliance.