Disqualification petitions filed against 5 Manipur JD(U) MLAs in Speaker's Tribunal

In a big jolt to the JD(U) in Manipur earlier last month, the ruling BJP had inducted five out of seven MLAs from the former ally party.

The petitions were filed by the petitioner Hareshwar Goshwami, Vice President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, in all the five disqualification petitions at the Manipur Legislative Assembly.

The counsel for the petitioner, Advocate Ningombam Bupenda Meitei, in all the five disqualification petitions against the five MLAs, was present during the filing of the disqualification petitions at the Manipur Assembly.

The five JD(U) MLAs who recently joined BJP include Joykishan Singh, Ngursanglur Sanate, Md. Achab Uddin, Thangjam Arunkumar and LM Khaute.

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a majority of 32 seats in the 60-member state Assembly in the recently held Assembly elections, the results of which were declared on March 10.

As per the statement issued by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat, "the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly is pleased to accept the merger of five JD(U) MLAs with the BJP under the tenth schedule of the Constitution."

Following the joining of the MLAs, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had said that the state has become JDU-free.

"Five JDU MLAs joined the BJP in Manipur, the state has become JDU-free. Those MLAs wanted to remain in NDA. Very soon, we will break the JDU-RJD alliance in Bihar and make the state JDU-free," said Modi.

Meanwhile, alleging political horse trading in the merger of Janta Dal United MLAs' into BJP in Manipur, JDU chief Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh had said that the merger was done by BJP using money power.

"Whatever happened in Manipur (merger of JDU MLAs into BJP) was done by BJP using money power. For the PM, coming together of opposition parties is corruption. They can do whatever they want but JD(U) will become a national party by 2023," the JD(U) chief said. (ANI)