Lok Sabha elections: Amit Shah to address rallies in Tripura and violence-torn Manipur today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will campaign and address an election rally in Manipur on Monday, April 15, days before the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Amit Shah landed in Agartala at 9pm on Sunday and stayed the night in Tripura. On Monday, the home minister is scheduled to address public rallies in both Tripura and Manipur.

“Amit Shah ji arrived in the state on Sunday night and will address an election rally for our candidate in the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat at Kumarghat in Unakoti district on Monday,” BJP state general secretary Amit Rakshit told news agency PTI.

Chief minister Manik Saha, Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, IPFT president Prem Kumar Reang and BJP nominee for the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat, Kriti Devi Debbarman, will be present at the rally.

After his poll rally in Tripura, Amit Shah is scheduled to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Manipur. He would be flying to Imphal later today and hold meetings with Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, and Manipur BJP president A Sharda Devi and other party leaders.

Amit Shah will be campaigning in Imphal, seeking votes for Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, BJP’s candidate from the constituency and the education minister of the state. The seat is currently held by BJP leader and minister of state for external affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha segment has 32 assembly constituencies across the conflict-scarred Imphal valley. The BJP has not fielded any candidate from the Outer Manipur segment, but will support the candidates fielded by the Naga People’s Front (NSF), its ally in NDA.

Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, after a tribal solidarity march was organised in the state’s hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Over 200 people have been killed in the violence-hit state since then, and thousands displaced.