Manipur CM expands cabinet, inducts 6 more ministers

Governor La Ganesan during a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers — H. Dingo Singh, Letpao Haokip, Dr. Sapam Ranjan Singh, Th Basanta Singh and L Susindro Meiteo, all from the BJP and Khasim Vashum from Naga People’s Front, the saffron party’s ally.Besides the Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and senior civil and security officials and state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi were present in the swearing-in-ceremony.

The Biren Singh-led government, which assumed office for the second consecutive term on March 21, on Saturday had its first cabinet expansion with the inclusion of six new ministers taking the BJP-led government’s cabinet to its full strength of 12 ministers.

In the 12-member council of ministry, now BJP has 10 ministers and its partner ally NPF has two.

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a thin majority of 32 seats in the 60-member state Assembly in the February-March Assembly elections, results of which were declared on March 10.

Earlier on March 21, besides the Chief Minister, four BJP MLAs Thongam Biswajit Singh, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Govindas Konthoujam, Nemcha Kipgen and Awangbow Newmai of NPF had taken the oath of office and secrecy.

Former Minister Nemcha Kipgen is the only woman minister in Biren Singh council of ministry.

The NPF, which contested the Assembly elections separately without any pre-poll alliance with the BJP, had secured five seats.

The BJP’s erstwhile ally the National People’s Party, secured seven seats while the Janata Dal (United) won six seats, and the Congress and the Naga People Front bagged five seats each in the recent elections.

The Kuki People’s Alliance, a newly floated tribal based party, managed two seats while three independent candidates also got elected to the Assembly.

The NPF, the JD(U) and two independent members have announced their support to the BJP government.