New Delhi: Manipur assembly speaker and BJP legislator Yumnam Khemchand Singh permitted three of seven rebel Congress MLAs to vote in the Rajya Sabha polls after they reportedly pledged support to the BJP’s candidate. He barred the four other rebels for expressing the intention to return to the Congress, in what marks a black day in India’s parliamentary democracy.
In a closely contested elections, the BJP’s candidate for the lone seat, the titular king Leisemba Sanajaoba, won the polls defeating the Congress candidate T. Mangi Babu.
What is to be pointed out is that L. Robindro, the Thanga MLA from All India Trinamool Congress, who pulled away his support to the BJP-led coalition government on June 17 and had announced his allegiance to the Congress, was barred from casting his vote as well.
Robindro shot off a letter to the Election Commission of India seeking its intervention in the “unfair election,” stating that the Speaker disallowed him without following due process. He had urged the ECI to keep the result on hold till the issue was sorted.
Sources in the state Congress said the party has decided to approach the ECI for the Speaker allowing three of its rebel MLAs to vote in the election.
Also read: Manipur HC Bars 7 Congress MLAs Who Joined BJP From Entering Assembly
Earlier, the Speaker had allowed the seven rebel MLAs of the Congress to move over to the treasury benches in spite of being elected to the 2017 assembly on a Congress ticket. However, following a directive from the Manipur high court on June 8, the Speaker had to bar their entry into the assembly complex. The high court had asked the Speaker to dispose of the petitions lying with him, seeking their disqualification for not resigning from the house and seeking re-election as BJP candidates before occupying the treasury benches.
Latest news reports coming from Imphal said the Speaker allowed three Congress legislators – N Haokip (Saitu), B. Brojen Singh (Wangjing Tengtha) and Ginsuanghau (Singhat) – to cast their vote in today’s Rajya Sabha elections while disqualified the rest of them – S. Bira Singh, Oinam Lukhoi Singh, Y. Surchandra Singh, and K. Bira Singh – from the house.
Besides, disqualified Congress MLA T. Shyamkumar too was barred from voting in today’s elections. In a clear violation of the Tenth Schedule of the constitution, the state governor, in 2017, had allowed the swearing in of Shyamkumar as a minister in the BJP-led government even though he had won that election in a Congress ticket. However, this March, hearing a petition filed by a few Congress MLAs, the Supreme Court disqualified him from the assembly.
Senior Congress MLA K. Meghachandra, on June 18, had submitted an application to the assembly secretary seeking removal of the Speaker from his post stating that he had failed to carry out his constitutional duties.
In all, though it is a 60-member assembly, only 52 MLAs (including the Speaker) were allowed to vote on June 19.
While three BJP MLAs who had resigned from the House and moved over to the Congress on June 17 stayed away from the elections as they had also resigned from the House, it had reduced the BJP’s chances of winning the Rajya Sabha election against the Congress’ candidate.
Also read: Manipur: BJP-Led Coalition Comes Apart at the Seams, Congress Likely to Make a Move
The Speaker’s decision to allow the three rebel Congress MLAs who supported the BJP, is being looked at by political observers in the state as a measure to address the shortfall.
Polling for the elections began at 9 am and continued till 4 pm.
Meanwhile, on June 18, the four National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs who pulled out of the N. Biren Singh government, along with the lone AITC MLA Robindro, an independent MLA Asafuddin, and the Congress MLAs, formed the Secular Democratic Front with an aim to form an alternate government.
They have submitted an application to state governor Najma Heptullah to hold a special session of the assembly where they can move a no confidence motion against the BJP-led government. The governor has not decided on the date of the session yet.
While chief minister Biren Singh has the support of 23 MLAs along with BJP allies, the SDF has 26 MLAs in its support. The house, with its reduced count of members, would need at least 26 members in one formation to claim simple majority.