IMPHAL: In a major cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh inducted five new faces,including two who recently crossed over to the BJP from the Congress, in his council of ministers after dropping six ministers.
All the five ministers, who were sworn in at Raj Bhavan, belonged to BJP and two of them, including Henry Singh who is nephew of CLP leader and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, had recently joined the saffron party from the Congress.
Three other Congress legislators had crossed over to the BJP with them.
One cabinet berth has been kept vacant keeping in view some by-elections coming up in the state in the near future.
Of the six cabinet ministers who were dropped, two belonged to the coalition partner National People's Party (NPP) and one was from the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).
Biren Singh is heading a coalition government of the BJP, NPP, Naga Peoples Front (NPF) and the LJP.
The NPP had four ministers in the BJP-led government in the northeastern state and the party had on Wednesday decided in a meeting that it will come out of the coalition ministry if anyone is dropped from the cabinet.
The four NPP ministers had resigned along with five other ruling coalition members on June 17 last throwing Biren Singh ministry into turmoil.
But, following intervention of Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda, they returned to the government and were reinstated in the cabinet.
Five seats recently fell vacant in the 60-member House in Manipur following resignation and disqualification of MLAs.
The chief minister and state BJP president S Tikendra Singh had recently visited Delhi, where they met several central leaders, including Nadda.
Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla accepted the proposal of the chief minister to drop six cabinet members. Of them, agriculture minister V Hangkhanlian, social welfare minister Nemcha Kipgen and education minister Thokchom Radheshyam Singh belong to the BJP.
LJP MLA and consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister Karam Shyam and NPP members – health and family welfare minister Langpoklakpam Jayantakumar Singh and tribal affairs and fisheries ministers N Kayisii were also dropped.
Heptullah also administered the oath of office to five new cRead More – Source
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