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Ibobi Singh to remain chief minister of Manipur
Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has again been named Congress legislature party (CLP) leader and will be sworn in as chief minister for the third consecutive term. HT reports.
Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has again been named Congress legislature party (CLP) leader and will be sworn in as chief minister for the third consecutive term.
The swearing-in ceremony is likely to be held on Wednesday.
But, no official announcement has been and the CM is yet to make a statement in this regard.
When contacted, a senior Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) leader said in New Delhi on Sunday: “The chief minister has been named new CLP leader.”
Singh’s candidature had the endorsement of party president Sonia Gandhi, he added.
Accompanied by his MLA wife, O Landhoni, Ibobi Singh rushed to New Delhi on Saturday and returned on Sunday after meeting party leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sources in Imphal said.
The reason for choosing Ibobi Singh is the party’s impressive victory. The Congress has secured 42 seats in the assembly of 60.
On Saturday, power minister Phunzathang Tonsing and MPCC vice-president AK Mirabai also flew to New Delhi.
Though Ibobi Singh, 64, has been the frontrunner, he had at least two challengers. They were his bête noire, Y Erabot Singh, 72, and the milder MPCC president Gaikhangam, 65, a Naga who his supporters say can give the party a “tribal face”. Gaikhangam and Erabot Singh are camping in New Delhi.
A CLP meeting was held on March 7 in the presence of two AICC representatives, Luiziho Faleiro and Hemanta Biswas Sharma, but it was fruitless.
