The Janata Dal (United), on Wednesday (January 22, 2025), removed Manipur party president Kshetrimayum Biren Singh for “acting on his own to withdraw support from N. Biren Singh government there,” party general secretary Afaque Ahmed said.
JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad too confirmed that party has removed Manipur State unit president from his post for “not taking the central party leadership into confidence and acting in his own” to withdraw support from the government in Manipur.
On Wednesday (January 22, 2025) Manipur unit of the JD(U) withdrew its support to the N. Biren Singh government in the State. Md Abdul Nasir, who represented the Jiribam Assembly constituency, is the lone MLA of the party there.
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The decision of the JD(U), however, was unlikely to threaten the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has 37 MLAs in the 60-member House, although seven of them belonging to the Kuki-Zo community have stayed aloof since the ethnic conflict broke out in May 2023.
The BJP also enjoys the support of the Naga People’s Front, which has five MLAs after the death of N. Kayisii, who represented the Tadubi constituency.
In a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday (January 22, 2025), State party president Mr. Kshetrimayum Biren Singh said the JD(U) no longer supported the BJP-led Manipur government and its lone MLA “shall be treated as an Opposition MLA in the House”.
The JD(U) had won six seats in the 2022 Assembly election in Manipur but five of its MLAs joined the BJP later. “The trial of the five MLAs is pending under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India before the Speaker’s Tribunal,” the State JD(U) president’s letter said.
In November, the NPP, headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, withdrew support from the N. Biren Singh-led government as it had “completely failed” to resolve the crisis arising out of the Kuki-Meitei ethnic conflict and restore normalcy in Manipur.
The NPP has six MLAs in the Manipur Assembly..
