Gaikhangam gets Home, Tonsing Health
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 17 2012:
Former Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaikhangam has been allocated the portfolio of Home Department whereas former Deputy Speaker Th Lokeshore has been nominated to take over as Speaker of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
No other MLAs filed nomination papers for the post of Speaker till the last hour today except the Congress MLA who was elected from Khundrakpam AC.
Like in the previous term, Confidential and Cabinet Department has allocated Revenue, Law and Legislative Affairs and GAD to Th Debendra at the advice of the Chief Minister while Phungzathang Tonsing has been given the charge of of Minister of Health and Family Welfare.
Presently, the Chief Minister is holding all other portfolios not allocated to any other Minister so far.
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Earlier in the morning, a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was held with Chief Minister O Ibobi in the chair.
The CLP meeting unanimously agreed on nominating Th Lokeshore to the post of Speaker.
Protem Speaker L Nandakumar may formally announce election of Th Lokeshore as the Speaker in a special meeting that would be held in the Assembly hall at 10 am of March 19 .
After this meeting, the newly elected Speaker would preside a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee where a tentative schedule for the upcoming Assembly session would be worked out.
Governor Gurbachan Singh Jagat would open the first session of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly with his customary speech in the afternoon of the same day.
On the next day, the Finance Minister would table a tentative budget for which vote on account would be taken.
With none of the non-Congress parties having the requisite number of MLAs to elect an opposition leader from amongst themselves, it is not clear which party's MLA would be made the opposition leader.
As such, no seat arrangement has been made for the opposition bench.
Notwithstanding this confusing situation, seat arrangements would be made according to which senior MLAs who were elected in previous elections too would be seated in the front row.