BJP leaders BL Santhosh, Sambit Patra arrive in Imphal for 3-day Manipur tour

Imphal, Nov 12 (PTI) BJP leader BL Santhosh and party MP Sambit Patra arrived here on Wednesday for a three-day visit to Manipur and are likely to hold meetings with MLAs, a party functionary said.

Santhosh, the BJP's national general secretary (organisation), and Patra, its north-east coordinator, were received by the party's state unit president Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi and several workers at Imphal airport.

When asked about the purpose of their visit, Santhosh responded with "we will tell everything".

A state BJP functionary told PTI that the two leaders will meet Meitei and Kuki legislators to "strengthen the party's coordination in hill and valley districts and explore the possibilities of government formation in the state".

The Centre had imposed the President’s rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned in view of ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups.

The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation.

The two BJP leaders are also expected to meet alliance partners, representatives of civil society organisations belonging to various communities in the state, the party functionary said.

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic strife since May 2023. PTI CORR BDC