Forty-four MLAs in Manipur are ready to form a new government in the state, BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh claimed on Wednesday after meeting Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. Singh, along with nine other MLAs, met Governor Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan earlier in the day.
The MLAs, including 8 legislators from the BJP, one from NPP and an Independent, met Governor Ajay Bhalla and stake claim to form the government in Manipur.
The BJP MLA said that the government took note of what the legislators had to say and that he will initiate actions in the best interests of the people.
"However, to inform that we are ready is similar to staking a claim to form a government. Speaker Satyabrata has individually and jointly met the 44 MLAs. There is no one who opposes the formation of a new government," Thokchom Radheshyam Singh said.
"People are facing too much hardship. 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," he added.
Which Party Has How Many MLAs?
Manipur has been under President's Rule since February after BJP leader N Biren Singh resigned as the CM, amid criticisms about his government's handling of the ethnic clashes which broke out in May 2023.
The 60-member assembly at present has 59 MLAs, with one seat vacant due to the death of a legislator. In the BJP-led coalition, there are 32 Meitei MLAs, three Manipuri Muslim MLAs and nine Naga legislators, totalling 44. The Congress has five MLAs -- all Meiteis.
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The remaining 10 MLAs are Kukis -- seven of them won the last election on a BJP ticket, two belong to the Kuki Peoples' Alliance, and one is an Independent.
Why The Sudden Development In Manipur?
The development comes amid massive protests in the Meitei-inhabited Imphal Valley over the hiding of the state's name written on the windshield of a government bus by security forces.
Meitei groups have been demanding an apology from the governor over the incident that happened in Gwaltabi on May 20, and the resignation of the chief secretary, DGP, and security advisor.
The past few days have seen several protests called by multiple groups demanding action against the "attack on Manipur identity." The protestors who have called marches to the Raj Bhavan, which have been stopped by the security forces.
Since the beginning of the ethnic strife in May 2023, in which over 250 people have been killed, Meitei groups maintain that the territorial integrity of the state is non-negotiable in any peace process, while the Kuki-Zo outfits assert that the only solution to resolve the crisis is creating a separate administration for the hill districts where they live.
The Gwaltabi incident has added to the tensions, which were waning in recent months because of a slew of measures being taken by the Centre to bring back peace to the state.