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Will Vinod Khanna's charm save BJP in Manipur?

Film star turned politician Vinod Khanna, Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary P B Acharya and general secretary of Nagaland unit Dooth Singh will lead the party's campaign in Manipur for the second phase of assembly election slated for February 22.

Khanna is expected to arrive in Imphal on February 17, and would address a number of meetings before the campaign ends on February 20.

The BJP is contesting 27 of the 32 seats that go to poll.

In the outgoing assembly, the BJP had no representation.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist is contesting only in the second phase of election. It has fielded four candidates. S P Lepcha, MP, is campaigning for them.

CPI-M leader Biman Bose will arrive in Imphal Tuesday. Earlier, party leaders Ashok Bhattacharjee and Nurul Huda had visited a number of constituencies where CPI-M candidates are in the fray.

The Marxists decided to go it alone after the Congress was included in the Secular Democratic Front comprising the Communist Party of India, the Manipur People's Party and the Janata Dal-Secular.

CPI-M sources said Lepcha would campaign in Khundrakpam, where the Nepali population will be the determining factor.

Congress leader Rajesh Pilot is expected to arrive in Imphal on February 16, sources said.

UNI

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