Cabinet reshuffle likely soon, NPP question looms large
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 28 2019: Chief Minister N Biren's Council of Ministers is most likely to go undergo certain changes with the induction of some MLAs and dropping of some Ministers from the Cabinet.

Sources informed that a reshuffle of N Biren's Cabinet is imminent soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sworn in for the second term.

Notably NPP, NPF and LJP are some of the coalition partners of Biren's Government.

Both the NPP and NPF have four MLAs each.

Whereas all the four NPP MLAs are given ministerial portfolios, only one NPF ML A is present in the State Cabinet.

LJP has a lone MLA and he too is a Cabinet Minister.

NPF may retain the single Ministerial berth but the number of Ministerial berths given to NPP may be slashed as and when a reshuffle is effected, said the sources.

But a discord may arise between BJP Central leaders and Chief Minister N Biren in case all the four NPP MLAs are stripped of their Ministerial berths.

It is said that BJP leaders and the Chief Minister have been thinking hard whether all the four NPP MLAs or just some of them should be stripped of their Ministerial berths.

There is a strong possibility of dropping all the four NPP MLAs or at least two of them from the State Cabinet.

In case all the four NPP MLAs are dropped from the council of Ministers, two of the Congress MLAs who support or would support the coalition Government may be given Ministerial berths.

Interestingly, the BJP-led coalition Government is being supported by eight Congress MLAs including Th Shyamkumar who is a Cabinet Minister.

In addition to the eight MLAs, some more Congress MLAs may lend support to the BJP-led Government in view of Congress party's debacle in the 17th Lok Sabha election, said the sources.

Two from amongst all the Congress MLAs including those who are likely to join the ranks of BJP anew may be given Ministerial berths after minutely examining who would best consolidate the Biren-led Government.

On the other hand, given the fact that NPP took pivotal roles in forming the incumbent Government, dropping all the four NPP MLAs from the council of Ministers would not be an easy task even though NPP and BJP stand on the opposite sides on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Significantly the NPP is a partner of the BJP not only in Manipur but also in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

There are certain commitments given by BJP Central leaders at the time of forming the Biren-led Government, according to the sources.

At the initiative of NPP president Conrad Sangma, the four NPP MLAs held a meeting with BJP Central leaders including Narendra Modi at Delhi on May 24, a day after the Lok Sabha election results were declared.

During the meeting, Narendra Modi reportedly assured that BJP would not retreat from the commitments it gave to NPP.

If this report is true, a discord may rise between BJP Central leaders and Chief Minister N Biren as and when he makes a move to drop all the four NPP MLAs from the council of Ministers, added the source.

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