Significance of the By-election result: N. Biren no longer in trouble water - Imphal Times Editorial :: November 11 2020 -

The shaky chair of the Chief Minister N. Biren Singh is now fixed tight with the victory of BJP in the by-election at four assembly constituencies and the addition of one more BJP from Kakching Assembly constituency after high court declared the election of Y. Surchandra as null and void.

Chief Minister always face trouble water while running the administration as there were always challenges to his leadership either from the coalition partner political party or from within the political party he is leading.

BJP won just 21 seats but shrewdly form the government even by inducting a minister from the Congress party candidate which won 28 seats in the 11th Manipur legislative Assembly.

All this three and half years of administration N. Biren Singh beside being the Chief Minister had to walk on tight rope , but everytime he succeeded in crossing to the other side.

When the rival opposition Congress play a final game plan by holding the cards of the four NPP MLAs who were Ministers in his government and even pulled out 3 of the BJP MLAs during the Rajya Sabha Election, N. Biren Singh play the hardest game – do or die perhaps.

6 congress MLAs were convinced and resigned from the post, when the opposition Congress was confident of getting the number in moving a no-confidence motion, which later was converted into a confidence motion which again N. Biren Singh won the trust vote.

In addition with the number of MLAs who had been disqualified by the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, altogether 13 seats out of the 60 remain vacant.

Than BJP’s number was reduced to 18 while the number of Congress MLAs have also been reduced to 17 with the dismissal of one it MLA from Sagolband Assembly constituency.

Now from 18, the number of BJP members has risen to 22.

This number is sufficient enough for N. Biren Singh to screw tight his chair and it happened after the reshuffled of his ministry by inducting two from those congress MLAs who had resigned for him.

With the better ties with the NPF which have 4 MLAs where two has been inducted as Ministers, the BJP strength is now 26.

N. Biren Government also have support of Trinamool Congress MLA Robindro , Indepnedent candidate Asab Ali and LJP member K. Shyam who had been recently removed from the Ministerial post.

The NPP which have 4 MLAs too still support the N Biren Singh government even as there is a souring relationship between the two.

So the arithmetic shows that the Biren Singh government has 33 active members, which is a majority in a house of 60.

At present there are 7 vacant seats where by-election is pending due to election cases pending in the court.

Winning these 7 seat by BJP will be extra fuel to miles ahead but losing these remaining seat is now where going to be a trouble water for N. Biren Singh government.

But how N. Biren Singh will check mate all opponent including those from among his own party is a matter yet to be decided as 12th Manipur Legislative Election is just one and half years to go.

This 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly he had played well and proves himself as first among the equals.

But as his winning is totally depended to the Central Party leader, the chemistry that the BJP game planner will play in the election is skeptical.

But for sure N. Biren Singh stands as the only competent leader of the BJP to lead the party in Manipur.

His politics assures that , he is the one candidate of the BJP that has the right to continue as the Chief Minister of the 12th State Legislative Assembly.