The BJP on Monday chose Nongthombam Biren Singh, a former state minister, as its chief minister candidate for Manipur. Biren Singh, who was elected BJP legislature party leader, will meet Governor Najma Heptulla to stake his claim to form the ministry.
The party decision was announced here in the presence of two union ministers – Piyush Goyal, Power Minister, and Prakash Javadekar, Human Resource Development Minister. “I left the Congress because of (its) misgovernance,” Biren Singh told media on the occasion.
“I assure you that BJP will surely provide good governance,” he added. Biren Singh was minister in the Congress government, and quit the government and party in October last year.
The other contender was Thongam Bishwajit, a BJP MLA since 2015. While the Congress has 28 elected members in the 60-member House, the BJP which secured 21 has increased its tally to 32 as all other parties and the lone independent including one Congress MLA have extended support to it.
Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh announced that he will tender his resignation on Tuesday evening. Governor Najma Heptulla had asked him to resign so that she could proceed with swearing in of the new Chief Minister. Ibobi Singh has been refusing to resign, pointing out that he enjoys majority support in the Assembly and there is no question of resignation. -IANS
Source: The North East Today
