Battle between Manipur CM's kin and his cabinet colleague

On paper, the prestigious Wangkhei assembly constituency in the heart of Manipur capital will witness a multi-cornered contest but all eyes will be on the interesting fight between senior minister Y Erabot Singh and Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh's nephew Henry Okram.

Erabot, known for his differences with the chief minister, is expecting a smooth run in his home constituency but Ibobi Singh has made the battle interesting by getting his young nephew Henry, a political novice, into the fray.

Henry is contesting as a Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) candidate against his formidable opponent who is the senior-most minister in the Ibobi Singh cabinet.

Erabot is an extremely popular figure known from his flamboyance which he showed during the recent economic blockade when he travelled to national highway 53 without police protection and escorted a fleet of trucks carrying essentials back to Imphal.

The others in the fray are Moiranthem Prafullo Singh of NCP and Haobam Borbabu Singh of BJP.

Erabot is one of the few Congress leaders who have campaigned with only four personal guards despite militants' threat and concentrated on door-to-door campaign.

"I am not scared of the ultras and my only aim is to develop not only my constituency but the entire state," Erabot says.

"Erabot is known for his differences with the chief minister which might be a positive factor for him", says a Congress worker requesting anonymity.

 Like many constituencies in Manipur, Wangkhei too has predominantly women voters: 142,355 women against 139,241 men voters.