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Nongthombam Biren Singh is greeted after he was elected at BJP legislature party leader in Imphal on Monday. Union Power Minister and BJP observer Piyush Goyal and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar are also seen. (PTI Photo)[/caption]
Imphal, March 14: Manipur governor, Dr Najma A Heptulla invited the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led coalition to form the next government in the state. Swearing-in ceremony of the BJP’s first government in the state under leadership of Nongthonbam Biren Singh, who was elected BJP’s legislature party leader on Monday, will take place at the Raj Bhavan here at 1 pm.
The governor also denied any charges of wrong-doing by calling the BJP-led coalition to form the government instead of the Congress, which is the single largest party.
With her announcement, three days of political drama to form a new government in Manipur is likely to end.
Now it is official that journalist-turned-politician, Nongthombam Biren Singh who resigned from Congress in the run-up to the elections is to be sworn-in as Manipur’s first BJP chief minister.
BJP national president Amit Shah and other national leaders were also invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony, according to sources.
The date for swearing-in was reportedly chosen by the newly elected legislature leader Biren, a former national level footballer-turned-journalist, who later joined politics, as he considers the day lucky.
On Monday, 56-year-old Biren who was elected for the fourth term this time, was unanimously elected as BJP’s legislature party leader after a four-hour-long meeting of newly elected BJP candidates at a hotel here which attended by BJP national vice-president, Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, party election in-charge of Manipur, union HRD minister, Prakash Javadekar, and union MoS power, Piyush Goyal.
Earlier in the day four MLAs of Naga People's Front (NPF), a constituent of the NDA today met the governor and announced their support to the BJP. Meeting between NPF leaders and the governor took place following a report that they had set conditions for supporting BJP. Four National People's Party (NPP) legislators had already extended their support to the BJP.