Imphal: Three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs on Wednesday joined Congress and 4 NPP legislators, including a Minister, an independent MLA, and a Trinamool Congress MLA withdrew support to N Biren Singh’s BJP-led Manipur coalition government and declared support to the Congress.
Manipur: S Subhashchandra Singh, TT Haokip & Samuel Jendai resign as BJP MLAs&join Congress. NPP’s Y Joykumar Singh, N. Kayisii, L Jayanta Kumar Singh & Letpao Haokip, resign from ministerial posts. TMC’s T Robindro Singh&Independent MLA Shahabuddin withdraw their support to BJP.
— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2020
Manipur’s assembly elections in 2017 had yielded a hung verdict, with the Congress emerging as the single largest party with 28 MLAs in the house of 60. The BJP had 21 MLAs. The Naga Peoples Front (NPF) and the National People’s Party (NPP) bagged four seats each. The Lokjanshakti Party, Trinamool Congress and an Independent candidate won one seat each.
The Governor, Najma Heptulla, had interestingly invited BJP to stake claim to form the next government. The BJP managed to form the government enlisting the support of all non-Congress MLAs. Besides, Congress MLA Shyamkumar Singh from Andro assembly constituency defected to join the saffron party.
