Imphal: Manipur State unit Chief spokesperson Chongtham Bijoy has been expelled by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 12 February just ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
As per reports, Bijoy lashed out at the National People's Party (NPP) by calling it a "parasite that had proved a menace" to the ruling alliance in the last five years.
The chief spokesperson was expelled from the party's primary membership for a period of six years for violation of the party's rules and regulations and breach of party discipline, according to a statement issued by Manipur state BJP President A Sharda Devi.
Bijoy informed the media that he would be backing Janata Dal (United) candidate of Uripok Assembly constituency Kh Suresh in the upcoming elections. He announced his support after his expulsion from the BJP.
"I was denied a party ticket as I was vocal against the corruption. Without serving any show-cause notice to me and following the due procedure, an expulsion order was issued against me by the party President," he said.
A retired IAS officer, L Raghumani, was nominated by the BJP for the assembly seat. It seemed like this did not go down well with Bijoy who was keen to contest the assembly elections from Uripok.
Bijoy went on to accuse the BJP of indulging in use and throw culture and said that the BJP had expelled their senior leader after utilizing their resources for years.
The Manipur legislative assembly has 60 seats in total and the polls will be held in two phases this time. The first phase will take place on 28 February while the second phase will be held on 5 March.
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