Manipur: Titular king elected to Rajya Sabha on BJP ticket amid whispers of regime change

Guwahati: Manipur's titular king Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishamba has clinched the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Manipur. While Leishamba got 28 votes in this election, Congress' candidate Tongram Mangibabu Singh was able to secure 24 votes.

The BJP camp had claimed that there was cross-voting during the election which enabled Leishamba to accede to the throne. The titular king assumes extra significance N Biren Singh-led BJP Government facing immense pressure from the Congress that has been buoyed by support from 9 additional MLAs, and has been staking a claim to form the Government, claiming that it has the greater numbers.

This election was seen as a semifinal of sorts by the political pundits, as a Congress victory at this juncture would have pushed the already tottering Biren Singh regime further to the brink.

At the same time, the Congres, however, remains buoyant that it has the "magic numbers" to vanquish the saffron brigade in its fort of Manipur. Manipur called on Governor Najma Heptulla of Manipur at 5 pm today. In today's meeting, Okram Ibobi Singh, former Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam of Congress, and former Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar of the National People's Party (NPP) were present at this crucial meet.

"I hope there will be a special assembly soon for the trust vote. We have a magic number. Today, we have 24 Congress MLAs while BJP alone has 18. We are confident of winning the trust vote. The minority BJP Government in Manipur must prove its strength on the floor of the House. For upholding democracy and the Constitution, a trust vote is a must", Ningombam Bupenda Meitei, the Congress's spokesperson in Manipur, said after the meeting.

It may be mentioned here that the N Biren Singh-led Government has been pushed to the brink after the resignation of three BJP MLAs, the ruling party in the state; and six coalition members, including four National People's Party (NPP), one Trinamool Congress (TMC) and one independent MLA from Jiribam quitting their support to BJP-led coalition government that was elected to power in 2017.

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