IMPHAL, January 3: Manipur government has recommended three-phase Assembly elections between March 2 and 14. The decision was taken by the state Cabinet yesterday after the Union home ministry and the Election Commission asked the government to place its proposal. The chief secretary and the state chief electoral officer have been directed to send the Cabinet's proposal to the Centre and the Election Commission. The state Cabinet has also decided to urge the Governor to prorogue the ongoing Assembly session. Sources said the government has recommended counting of votes be taken up from March 15. The term of the present Manipur Assembly expires on March 21 and the government wants to complete the election process before it. The BJP and Samata Party have opposed the government's decision to hold the Assembly elections in March. Sources said state unit of the BJP has apprised both the Union home ministry and the Election Commission to conduct the polls in February, before the Lok Sabha session begins. Official sources said the government has recommended the holding of elections to 39 Assembly constituencies of the valley on March 2. It has also recommended elections to 10 Assembly seats in Senapati and Tamenglong district and Jiribam sub-division on March 8. Elections to 11 constituencies in Churachandpur, Chandel and Ukhrul districts have been sought on March 14. The government has recommended elections in three phases in view of the threat by National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) to boycott the polls in Naga-inhabited districts of Manipur. As the state lacks adequate security forces to conduct a peaceful polls, the Cabinet decided that it would be in a better position to supervise security more effectively if elections were phased out over three days. The government has asked the Union home ministry for 13 additional battalions of paramilitary forces for the polls. The Centre has given a green signal to state's demands on security forces, the sources said. MLAs face action: Three legislators of the ruling Manipur State Congress Party, who defected from the Congress on December 15, are facing disqualification. Manipur Speaker K Babudhon Singh has initiated proceedings for disqualification against the three MLAs under the anti-defection law. The three MLAs - Md Helaluddin Khan, Prof M Horam and Hangkhanpao - had joined the Nipamacha Singh-led MSCP after leaving their parent Congress party. While doing so, they violated the anti-defection law as they could not form one-third of Congress Legislature Party. (Correspondent; The Telegraph, Calcutta; January 4, 2000)

IMPHAL, January 3: The Manipur Assembly Speaker has issued show-cause notices to three legislators who had recently quit Congress and joined the ruling Manipur State Congress Party as to why they should not be disqualified under constitutional provisions, sources in the Assembly secretariat said on Monday, reports PTI. The notices were served after receiving applications from some Congress members to disqualify the three under Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, the sources said. The three MLAs were Helaludin Khan, M Horam and Hangkhanpao. (PTI; The Assam Tribune, Guwahati; January 4, 2000)

IMPHAL, January 4: Disqualification proceedings have been initiated against three MLAs who quit Congress and joined the ruling Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), Manipur Assembly Speaker Ikaram Babudhon Singh said today. Babudhon Singh said show-cause notices have been served to M Horam, Helal Udin Khan and Hangkhanpao as to why they should not be disqualified from membership of the House as per provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. If they were found violating anti-defection law, they would be disqualified from membership of the House but the process would take time because their replies and provisions of the law have to be minutedly studied before taking any final decision, he told PTI. Disqualification proceedings against the 34 MLAs followed applications from three Congress MLAs - AS Arthur, Moirangthem Okendro and T Mangibabu. They said the three MLAs who left the party did not form one-third of Congress' strength of 14 MLAs to take a split in the party as per provisions of the law. Khan, Horam and Hangkhanpao left the Congress and joined MSCP last month, saying they believed in regionalism. (PTI; The Assam Tribune, Guwahati; January 5, 2000)

AGARTALA, January 4: Tripura Upajati Juba Samity (TUJS), a major tribal political party in the State, has urged the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Union Home Minister LK Advani for creation of an autonomous tribal state and introduction of inner-line permit in the tribal areas of the State, reports PTI. A four-member delegation of TUJS under the leadership of Nagendra Jamatiya, MLA and president of the TUJS met the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister on Sunday last at New Delhi and apprised them of the prevailing insurgency and ethnic clashes of the State, according to Rabindra Debbarma, MLA and general secretary of the party, here today. The delegation requested the Prime Minister to take steps to initiate discussion with the insurgent leaders to bring to an end to the militancy in the State. They urged the Union ministers to implement the Indira-Mujib pact for interest of the tribals, Debbarma said. (PTI; The Assam Tribune, Guwahati; January 5, 2000)

IMPHAL, January 5: Opposition parties in Manipur have forged a broad alliance to defeat the BJP and the ruling Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) in the Assembly polls slated for early March. Congress is the latest entrant to the alliance formed prior to the Lok Sabha polls in September. The Manipur People's Party (MPP), CPI, CPM and the Janata Dal (Secular) had formed the Secular Democratic Front (SDF). PCC President O Ibobi Singh told The Telegraph today that all the five parties have officially agreed to form the alliance and the list of common candidates will be finalised on January 10. Singh said the Congress high command has already agreed to the PCC's stand on the issue. According to the PCC president, the alliance will be on two lines. One will be to field common candidates and the other will be stage "strategic friendly fights." He expressed hope that the alliance will succeed in fielding common candidates in at least 50 per cent of the total seats. The Congress has appointed observers to assess the ground situation in all blocks and districts. A final report on the ground reality will be submitted to Ibobi Singh on January 7 after which the PCC's steering committee will take a decision. Similarly, all the constituents of the Opposition alliance have despatched their teams to assess the ground situation. State CPI general secretary Pheiroijam Parijat said the alliance will be able to finalise its candidates for 40 seats in the valley by January 10. For the 20 seats in the hill districts, a final decision will be taken by January 12, he said. Parijat stressed the importance of "strategic friendly fights" in many valley constituencies to defeat the BJP and MSCP candidates. The CPI general secretary hoped the new front will be able to form the next government in the state. Sources said the Congress and the MPP were likely to get the major share in seat allocation as the two parties were stronger than the others. However, the biggest beneficiary of the alliance may turn out to be the CPI. The Opposition's morale received a boost after state transport minister Morung Makunga resigned from the W Nipamacha Singh ministry yesterday. Makunga has also not applied for a MSCP ticket. Sources said though Makunga was still a MSCP member, he may defect to the Congress and become the Opposition candidate from his Tengnoupal constituency. (Oinam Sunil; The Telegraph, Calcutta; January 6, 2000)

IMPHAL, January 14: The National Democratic Alliance constituents may succeed in forging a broad alliance for the Manipur Assembly elections out of compulsion. With five Opposition parties - the Congress, the Manipur People's Party, the CPI, the CPM and the Janata Dal (Secular) - forming the Secular Democratic Front (SDF), there is no option left for the NDA constituents despite differences on seat adjustment. Though the state unit of the BJP was against teaming up with the ruling Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), central BJP leaders insisted on the NDA's revival. The alliance had fought the last Lok Sabha elections in the state as one, but differences between the BJP and the MSCP had rendered it non-functional. The MSCP's big-brother attitude was cited to be the main reason behind the difference. BJP national secretary in-charge of the Northeastern states, PB Archarya, is here trying to strike a deal with other partners like the MSCP and the Samata Party. The MSCP has put forward a proposal for having a "friendly contest" among the NDA constituents, while working out a common minimum programme to keep the alliance alive. But, the BJP and the Samata Party are insisting on fielding common candidates in many constituencies. The MSCP's problem is accommodating all its 38 sitting MLAs whose candidature it has already finalised. The problem between the NDA constituents cropped up when three MSCP legislators were pitted against state BJP president H Bhubon Singh, former Chief Minister RK Dorendra Singh of the BJP and Samata Party president Basanta Kumar Wangkhem. Sources said the BJP and the Samata Party insisted that the MSCP sacrifice the seats. The NDA's new partner, the Federal Party of Manipur (FPM) - which is also a partner of the W Nipamacha Singh-led coalition ministry, has endorsed the MSCP's theory of friendly contest while keeping the NDA alive. FPM president and forest minister Gangmumei Kamei told The Telegraph that despite its differences, the NDA will fight the Assembly elections as an unit. A state BJP leader today said the alliance was inevitable. He said the NDA may field common candidates in at least five of the 60 seats to make the alliance work. A clear picture would surface by tomorrow, he added. Archarya told newsmen that Union minister of state for youth affairs, culture and sports Thounoujam Chaoba Singh should quit if the NDA failed to take off due to the MSCP's stand. He said the MSCP, one of whose MP was a Union minister, should sacrifice some seats for its allies. Sources said state BJP leaders had urged Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to drop Chaoba Singh from his ministry if the NDA failed to materialise in the state. Chaoba Singh, who is in New Delhi to work out an amicable formula, is expected to be here tomorrow. Sources said while Chaoba Singh was ready to sacrifice the seats, Nipamacha Singh and his deputy L Chandramani Singh were against sacrificing MSCP's interests. Observers feel the NDA will have to materialise if the constituents want to prevent the SDF from having an easy run. (Correspondent; The Telegraph, Calcutta; January 15, 2000)