Manipur CM Ibobi Singh resigns; Governor Heptulla to invite BJP to form govt

Update: Ibobi Singh has resigned.

Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has said that he will resign in a short period of time. Ibobi is longest serving Chief Minister of Manipur and Congress leader. The development came after Ibobi Singh failed to muster the required numbers to form a Congress government. Governor Najma Heptulla has asked him to step down, and the BJP is now set to form the government.

“I will tender my resignation (from position of CM) in a short period of time, either today or tomorrow,” Okram Ibobi Singh said.

While the Congress has 28 elected members, 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.Though the Congress claimed it enjoys the supports of the four National People’s Party MLAs, Vivekraj Wangkhem of the NPP maintained his party is supporting the BJP to form government. Wangkhem also said that the party’s earlier written assurance to the Congress is invalidated. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was pinning his hope on the support of the 4 MLAs of the NPP. The BJP General Secretaries, Ram Madhav, Prahlad Singh Patel and the Assam Finance Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the party enjoys support of 32 MLAs. Governor Heptulla is likely to invite the BJP leaders to form the government.

With BJP all set to form government in Manipur, the party today elected N Biren Singh as legislature party leader, making him the chief ministerial face of the party. Speaking to media persons he thanked party president Amit Shah for the opportunity and expressed hope that his party would provide good governance to the people of the state.