Just months before the Manipur Assembly elections, former Manipur Congress chief, Govindas Konthoujam, joined Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday.
Govindas Konthoujam joined Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and senior BJP leader, Sambit Patra.
Konthoujam, who also served as the president of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, citinf personal reasons exited the party last week and resigned as a member of the assembly and primary membership of the party.
Who is Govindas Konthoujam?
A prominent leader in the northeast region, Govindas Konthoujam is a former minister and six-time Congress MLA from Bishnupur in Manipur. He was also the chief whip of the Congress Legislature Party. A former state cabinet minister, he was appointed as Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president in December 2020.
How does it affect Congress?
Govindas Konthoujam resigned from the state Assembly on July 28. His resignation was accepted by the Speaker. The Assembly later issued an official notification that the Bishnupur constituency seat is now vacant.
Konthoujam’s resignation means Congress is now left with 16 MLAs, while the BJP has 24 in the 60-member House, the effective strength of which is currently 54.
Congress had bagged more seats in the 60-member house than BJP in the 2017 state Assembly poll, but had failed to cross the halfway mark and was unable to cobble up an alliance to form the government. In the 2017 assembly polls, it is Congress that emerged as the single largest party, winning 28 out of the 60 seats. The BJP, however, was able to cobble up numbers and form a coalition government.
Assembly poll in the northeastern state is due in 2022.
