Mar,20, 2017: In Manipur, the BJP-led Government in the state will seek Vote of Confidence today on the floor of the State Assembly in Imphal. Speaker of the 11th State Legislative Assembly will also be elected today. The election for the Speaker will be held at 10 this morning just before the Trust vote. Our correspondent reports that the ruling front has nominated the first time MLA Yumnam Khemchand of the BJP as a candidate for the post.
Stage is set for today’s vote of confidence of the BJP-led Government in Manipur. BJP won 21 seats in the Assembly elections while Congress won 28 in the 60-member House. However, a BJP-led government was formed in the state with the support of four legislators each from National People’s Party(NPP) and Naga People’s Front(NPF), one legislator each from Lok Janshakti Party(LJP), All India Trinamool Congress(AITC) and Congress. One Independent MLA is also in the ruling front. The first joint legislative party meeting of BJP, NPP, NPF, LJP, AITC and the lone independent MLA was held the last afternoon at Imphal with Chief Minister Biren Singh in the chair.
On the other hand, Congress party which has ruled the state for three consecutive terms under the Chief Ministership of Okram Ibobi Singh is also not yet retreated from the political battle of government formation. The party will also fight for the post of Speaker of the state legislature. The strategy of the party, behind the revocation of the expulsion of its party MLA Thounaojam Shyamkumar from the party after he joined the BJP-led government, remains an unknown political undercurrent as of now.
The nearly five-month-long economic blockade on the two National Highways of Manipur by the United Naga Council has come to an end since last night.
This comes after successful tripartite talks among the representatives of the Centre, new BJP State Government and the UNC at Senapati District Headquarters yesterday.
Now, the State Government has agreed to release the arrested leaders of the UNC without any condition and all the cases related to the economic blockade against Naga leaders including its student leaders will also be closed.
All the three sides also agreed upon holding the next tripartite talks within one month. In the tripartite talks, the Centre was represented by the Joint Secretary (North-East) of the Ministry of Home Affairs-Satyender Garg, the state government by its Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr. J Sureshbabu and Commissioner (Works) K. Radhakumar and the UNC by its Core Committeee members including former President of the Council- Paul Leo, Samson Remei, All Naga Students Association and others.
Appreciating the development, Governor Najma Heptulla said the lifting of the blockade will usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the northeastern state.
Chief Minster N Biren Singh said the lifting of the blockade is just the beginning and that his government is trying to fulfil the promises Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made to the people of the state.
The blockade was imposed on NH-2 and NH-37 by the United Naga Council on 1st of November last year to protest against the creation of seven new districts by the erstwhile Okram Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in the state.
It led to steep rise in prices of essential commodities and severely affected the normal life and it became a major issue in the recent Assembly polls in the state.
