Will Focus on Peace Restoration if Elected to RS: BJP Nominee from Manipur

BJP candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi, on Friday said she would first focus on the restoration of peace and resettlement of internally displaced people in restive Manipur, if she is elected to the Upper House of Parliament.

Sharda Devi's comment comes a day after the party nominated her for the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections.

The party's state unit chief also urged the legislators to vote for her and allow her to serve the state.

Sharda Devi's election is almost certain as the BJP has 37 MLAs in the 60-member assembly.

"I am deeply humbled and grateful to BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Nitin Nabin, for giving me the ticket to contest the Rajya Sabha elections from the state," she said.

Sharda Devi, who had served as the national vice president for the party from 2014 to 2016, will file her nomination on June 8.

In a post on X, she said, "This nomination is not merely a personal milestone but a solemn responsibility to serve the people of Manipur and contribute towards the vision of a stronger, united, and developed India under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Modi." She pledged to work "tirelessly for the welfare of the people and the progress of our beloved state and the country".

"If elected to the Rajya Sabha, I will focus on and take all the possible steps to restore peace in the state and look into the development requirements," Sharda Devi said.

The BJP candidate also said she would be "doing everything in her capacity to rehabilitate and resettle all the internally displaced people in the state".

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur since May 2023.