Manipur political turmoil: Deputy CM, five other legislators withdraw support to N Biren Singh-led BJP govt; three MLAs from saffron party join Congress

Three BJP MLAs in Manipur resigned from the party while six legislators including deputy chief minister Y Joykumar Singh withdrew their support from the N Biren Singh-led NDA government, putting the state government on a sticky wicket, reports said. According to PTI, Joykumar tendered his resignation letter along with his three National People’s Party (NPP) colleagues Tribal and Hills Area Development Minister N Kayishii, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Letpao Haokip and Health and Family Welfare Minister L Jayanta Kumar Singh. [caption id=“attachment_8495341” align=“alignleft” width=“640”] File image of Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh. PTI[/caption] In separate letters addressed to the chief minister, Joykumar, Haokip and Kayishii stated, “I am to intimate that I tender my resignation from Cabinet ministership of the BJP-led coalition government of Manipur led by your good self.” Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Joykumar, who also held the finance portfolio. said, “We have submitted our official resignation letters to the chief minister.” The Indian Express reported that besides the NPP leaders, the lone Trinamool MLA and an independent MLA from Jiribam also withdrew their support to the BJP-led government. News18 reported that three BJP MLAs in the state — S Subhashchandra Singh, TT Haokip and Samuel Jendai — also resigned and joined the Congress on Wednesday. Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Manipur with 28 MLAs after the 2017 Assembly election resulted into a hung house. However, soon after the results, Congress MLA TH Shyamkumar defected and joined the BJP (which had 21 MLA). Shyamkumar’s defection followed that of seven other MLAs who too joined the BJP, helping the saffron party to form government in the state. The BJP had also received support from four MLAs from Naga People’s Front (NPF) MLAs, four MLAs from NPP, one from the Lok Janshakti Party, one Trinamool Congress MLA and one Independent MLA. The NDA, however, is now in minority in the Manipur Assembly, whose effective strength is 59 after the state’s forest minister TH Shyamkumar was disqualified for defecting to the BJP after winning on a Congress ticket in March. On 9 June, the High Court of Manipur had restrained the other seven Congress MLAs who had defected to the BJP, from entering the Assembly till Speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh finally disposes of the pending anti-defection cases against them. With inputs from PTI