44 MLAs ready to form government in Manipur: BJP leader
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh has said that 44 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are ready to form a new government in Manipur.
The announcement was made after a meeting with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan.
"We informed the governor that 44 MLAs are ready. We also discussed possible solutions to the ongoing issues in the state," Singh said.
Coalition details
BJP-led coalition ready to form government
He, however, clarified that the final decision regarding staking a formal claim rests with the BJP's central leadership.
Of the 60 seats in the Manipur Assembly, the BJP-led coalition has 32 Meitei MLAs, three Manipuri Muslim MLAs, and nine Naga legislators.
This brings the total to 44 MLAs.
The Congress has five Meitei MLAs, while 10 MLAs are Kukis—seven from the BJP, two from the Kuki People's Alliance, and one Independent.
One seat is currently vacant.
Political situation
President's rule in Manipur amid ethnic tensions
Manipur has been under President's Rule since February after former CM N Biren Singh resigned over criticism of his handling of ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos.
The violence, which began in May 2023, has left over 250 dead and thousands displaced.
Since then, tensions have fluctuated.
The state saw fresh tension again on May 20 after security forces covered the state's name on a government bus carrying media persons who were on their way to Shirock festival in Ukhrul.
Unrest continues
Security forces stopped the bus at the Gwaltabi checkpoint
Security forces stopped the bus at the Gwaltabi checkpoint and allegedly forced the journalists to cover the state's name written on the top of the vehicle's windshield with a piece of white paper.
After this, the journalists returned to Imphal.
They also protested the incident by marching from the Manipur Press Club to Raj Bhavan, a distance of almost two kilometers, and submitting a memorandum to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla asking for a probe into it.
Offices
Protestors lock up two central government offices
On Tuesday, Meitei protestors locked up two central government offices over the incident.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) activists, an organization that represents the Meitei group, barged into the office of the chief electoral officer at Lamphelpat and ordered the staff to leave the building.
Later, protestors targeted the Geological Survey of India's office, yelling "apologize or leave Manipur" at Governor AK Bhalla.