A Congress MLA from the Singngat Assembly seat in Churachandpur district on Monday defected to the the Bharatiya Janata Party, as did 14 members of the Congress Autonomous District Council from Chandel district. Ginsuanhau Zou (pictured extreme left) and the others were felicitated at an event at the state BJP office in Imphal by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, The Nagaland Post reported.
“Day after day, I’m gaining confidence over the BJP-led government’s growing strength,” Singh said, who felicitated Zou in the presence of Manipur Pradesh BJP president Ksh Bhabananda Singh, PTI reported.
Zou is the second Congress MLA to join the BJP since the party came to power with a coalition government in Manipur. Party legislator Shyam Kumar had defected to the BJP ahead of the Manipur Assembly floor test and was given a berth in the chief minister’s Cabinet.
This comes two days after Manipur’s Health Minister L Jayanta Kumar resigned from his position. The National People’s Party leader had alleged “interference by many” in his ministry. However, Singh has yet to accept his resignation, according to reports, and Kumar was in attendance at Zou’s event.
The Congress had emerged the single largest party by winning 28 seats in the 60-seat Assembly, though it is now down to 26. The BJP had formed government in the state with the support of MLAs from the National People’s Party, Naga People’s Front, the Lok Janshakti Party, an independent MLA, a Trinamool Congress MLA and former Congress MLA Shyam Kumar.
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