The ally of ruling BJP in Manipur, National Peoples’ Party (NPP) announced its first list of 20 candidates for the assembly polls to be held next month.

Manipur will go for polls in two phases on February 27 and March 3.

The list approved by NPP’s national President and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma included Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joy Kumar Singh (Uripok Assembly constituency), and sitting MLAs L. Jayanta Kumar Singh (Keishamthong) and N. Kayisii (Tadubi), among others.

After Congress, the NPP, also a national party, announced the candidates’ list where names of only two women candidates — W. Sumati Devi (Lamsang) and Nalini Devi (Oinam) — featured.

Announcing the list in Imphal, NPP’s election management committee chief Joy Kumar Singh indicated that the party might announce the names of more candidates soon.

NPP chief Conrad K. Sangma had earlier announced to contest the elections on its own by fielding candidates in at least 40 of the 60 Assembly seats in Manipur.

The BJP, which had bagged 21 seats in the last Assembly elections in 2017, stitched together a coalition government with the support of four NPP MLAs, four Naga People’s Front (NPF) members, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member.