IMPHAL: A day after BJP announced its candidates for all 60 seats for the Manipur polls, a whopping 15 rejected candidates, including a sitting MLA, Pukhrem Sarat, and former legislators on Monday joined different parties — JD(U), Congress and NPP — dealing a body blow to the saffron party, observers said.
Sarat represented Moirang seat in Bishnupur district. BJP gave the Moirang ticket to former Congress MLA M Prithiviraj, who had recently joined the saffron party. Along with Sarat, former MLA Ningthoujam Biren Singh from Sekmai seat in Imphal West district and retired managing director of the state-run MANIDCO and MANITRON, N Joykumar Singh from Bishnupur constituency switched to Congress.