Imphal: Congress candidate for the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, exercised his franchise on Friday morning at the Ram Lal Higher Secondary School, Keishamthong in Imphal West.
Accompanied by his wife and other family members, Akoijam participated in the electoral process at the model polling station.
Addressing the media after casting his vote, Akoijam emphasised that he voted not as a candidate but as an electorate. “There is no difference in casting my vote as a candidate or as a voter. When I cast my vote, I do it not as a candidate but as a voter,” he asserted.
Akoijam appealed to the people to step out of their homes and exercise their franchise rights, urging them to consider the type of government they desire for the next five years.
“I want people to have an opportunity to vote peacefully because this is the only opportunity citizens have to decide the fate of how the place is run and whom our representative will elect,” he stated.
He further expressed his hope for peaceful elections, stressing the importance of every individual exercising their right to vote.
Confident about his prospects in the election, Akoijam, a professor by profession, expressed his optimism about winning by a significant margin. “Looking at people’s pulse, I can sense and I am pretty confident. I am only hoping for the margin how big is the margin is what I am forward to it,” he said.
Reflecting on the prevailing circumstances in the state over the past 11 months, Akoijam noted a shift in consciousness among the people. He shared the importance of voter turnout, emphasising the significance of participating in both parliamentary and state assembly elections.
“I am hoping that everybody comes out and people tend to take a lenient attitude towards Parliamentary assembly because this is not state assembly. But I think it is equally important for us to come out and vote. And we should be conscious of how the country is run,” he added.
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As the nation goes to poll for the 18th Lok Sabha Election, 47 constituencies in Manipur are participating in the first phase of voting, with 32 Assembly segments for the Inner seat and 15 Assembly constituencies under the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency casting their ballots.
Elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process across the 2107 polling booths set up in the state. A total of 15,44,652 voters, comprising 7,41,849 male, 8,02,557 female voters, and 246 transgender individuals, are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of the General elections 2024.
Also Read | Lok Sabha: 47 constituencies in Manipur head to polls in first phase