Manipur: BJP coalition government in crisis, 9 MLAs join Congress

In what is being termed as ‘reverse operation Kamala’ in Manipur, 3 BJP MLAs – S Subhashchandra Singh, TT Haokip and Samuel Jendai – TMC MLA T Robindro Singh, National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs – Y Joykumar Singh (Deputy CM), N. Kayisii, L Jayanta Kumar Singh and Letpao Haokip and Independent MLA Ashab Uddin resigned from BJP’s coalition government and have extended their support to the Congress party.

The Congress party has said that it is confident of forming the new government under former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. On Thursday morning, the grand old party is scheduled to meet Governor Najma Heptulla to stake a claim on the government. Even as there has been no response from the BJP camp on the unfolding situation, here is what the numbers reveal.

The numbers game

The Manipur assembly has 60 seats. In the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress won 28 seats and BJP 21. While the Congress emerged as a single largest party, NPP and Naga People’s Front (NPF) won 4 seats each, LJP, TMC, and an Independent candidate won one seat each. Stitching a post-poll alliance with all non-Congress MLAs and one Congress MLA Thounaojam Shyamkumar, the BJP acquired the magic number and thus Governor Najma Heptulla invited the saffron party to form the government. Soon after, seven other Congress MLAs- Sanasam Bira Singh, Ginsuanhau, Oinam Lukhoi Singh, Ngamthang Haokip, Yengkhom Surchandra Singh, Kshetrimayum Bira Singh, and Paonam Brojen Singh also joined the BJP- and the numbers of BJP’s coalition reached 40.

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