GUWAHATI: Two days ahead of the first of the two-phase Manipur elections, eight people were injured in a bomb blast at the residence of a Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate at Langol in the Imphal West district on Thursday.
The explosion occurred at around 5 pm at the residence of K Leishiyo, who is contesting from scheduled tribe-reserved Phungyar constituency in Kamjong district.
Leishiyo said he was not at home when the incident occurred. All the injured persons are his party workers of which some have been grievously injured.
“I was told somebody came and lobbed the bomb targeting my house before escaping. Eight people were injured and all of them had been hospitalised. Some of them sustained head injuries,” he told Express.
The injured were rushed to Shija Hospital at Langol. Langol, a redominantly tribal colony, is located on the outskirts of Imphal city.So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Leishiyo said he had not received any threat from anyone but alleged that he was being targeted by “other parties” as his victory was inevitable.
“I am sure to win the election because I enjoy mass support. So, the other parties are worried about my prospects and doing these things to create panic in the minds of my supporters and voters,” he alleged.
The police visited the site immediately after the incident. There are five candidates in the fray in Phungyar, which is Manipur’s biggest constituency in terms of size. It is as big as Imphal valley which accounts for 40 of the 60 seats. The NPF, Congress, BJP, Trinamool Congress and an Independent are contesting here.
The NPF, which is a major constituent of Nagaland’s ruling alliance, has fielded candidates in 15 seats, all in tribal-majority hills. In the 2012 polls, the party had grabbed four seats.
Meanwhile, campaigning for Saturday’s first phase polls ended on Thursday. The second and the final phase polls will be held on March 8.