44 MLAs ready to form Manipur government: NDA group to governor

IMPHAL: A group of 10 MLAs led by BJP's Thokchom Radheshyam met Manipur governor Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday to convey their readiness to form a govt in the state which has been under President's Rule since Feb.

The group claimed support of 44 NDA legislators. Independent MLA Sapam Nishikant Singh spoke in the same vein.

The 44 MLAs mentioned by Radheyshyam include 30 of 37 BJP legislators, including former CM N Biren Singh; six NPP MLAs; all five NPF MLAs; the lone JD(U) MLA; and two of three Independents. The seven remaining BJP legislators, two Kuki People's Alliance members and one Independent, all belonging to the Kuki-Zo community, are not part of this group.

The 60-member Manipur assembly currently has 59 MLAs, with one seat vacant due to the death N Kayisii, who represented Tadubi constituency. Opposition Congress has five members.

While BJP refrained from commenting on the development, there were indications that the group of 10 could not have acted unilaterally.

BJP brass will decide on govt formation: Manipur MLA
Manipur has been under President's Rule since Feb after Biren Singh resigned as CM amid criticism about his govt's handling of the ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos.

The assembly, which has been under suspended animation, can be revived any time before the current spell of President's Rule expires on Aug 13, should BJP decide to form another govt.

Radheshyam was vague on whether the initiative for the meeting with the governor had been sanctioned by the BJP brass. "The central leadership of BJP will take the decision," he quipped.

Significantly, he revealed that Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh has "individually and jointly" sounded the 44 MLAs and that there is no one who opposes the formation of a new govt. "We are ready to stake a claim to form a govt," he added.

"People have faced so my hardships. In the previous term, two years were lost due to Covid, and in this term, another two years have been lost due to the conflict," said Radheshyam, emphasising the need for the return of a political dispensation in Imphal.

The development comes amid intense protests in the Imphal Valley over an order by security forces to conceal the state's name - Manipur - on the windshield of a govt bus.

Meitei groups demanded an official apology from the governor over the incident that happened in Gwaltabi on May 20, and the resignation of the chief secretary, the DGP and the security adviser.

More than 250 people have died since the ethnic strife broke out on May 3, 2023, in the state. Meitei groups maintain that the territorial integrity of the state is non-negotiable in any peace process, while the Kuki-Zos assert that the only solution to resolve the crisis is creating a separate administration for the hill districts where they live.