Imphal, Jan 19: Ahead of Assembly polls Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has suspended MLA Kh Joykisan Singh from the Indian National Congress (INC) on the recommendation of the Disciplinary Action Committee.
Joykisan was elected from Thangmeiband constituency in Imphal West district.
General secretary (administration), Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Hareshwar Goshwami stated, “On the recommendation of the Disciplinary Action Committee, MPCC, the President, MPCC is pleased to suspend Kh. Joykisan Singh from the Indian National Congress (INC) under Article XIX of the Constitution of the Indian National Congress read with Clause (h) of “MISCELLANEOUS’ provided under Article XXVII of the said Constitution. On his suspension, Singh ceased to be a primary member of Indian National Congress with immediate effect”.
In 2015, Joykisan joined BJP from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and was elected as BJP candidate during the by-poll election in 2015. In 2017, he contested on Congress ticket.
Former Congress legislator and the party’s senior vice president Kh Ratankumar, who left the party and remained out of connection, returned back to the party on Monday following the intervention AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi and other leaders.
Ratan resigned from the post of Manipur PCC vice president and other posts owing to certain organizational differences within the party.
On January 17, Congress President approved the proposal of the appointment of Ratankumar Singh as Working President, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect.
In the run up to polls, Congress MLA Chaltonlien Amo of Tipaimukh Assembly constituency joined the ruling BJP. Recently Congress president Govindas Konthoujam and a few MLAs quit the party and joined the BJP.
In 2017, Congress went out of power in Manipur after 15 years of rule. In 2017 Assembly polls Congress emerged as the single largest party with 28 MLAs; Manipur Assembly is 60-member Assembly. Later, around eight Congress MLAs left the party. BJP won 21 seats.
BJP got support from National People’s Party (NPP) and Naga People’s Front (NPF) which won four seats each. One MLA each from Trinamool Congress, Lok Jan Shakti party and lone independent member supported the government.
The elections to the 60-member Manipur Assembly would be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3.