Manipur Congress meets acting governor, stakes claim to form govt

IMPHAL: A Congress delegation in Manipur on Friday staked claim to form government in the state, Kh Jaikishan Singh, the spokesperson of the party's state unit, said.

The move comes following the political upheaval in Karnataka where the Congress-JD(S) combine protested against Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to invite BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form the government.

Nine leaders of Congress Legislature Party (CLP), led by the Opposition Leader in Manipur Assembly and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, met Acting Governor Jagdish Mukhi at Raj Bhavan here around noon and staked claim to form government, Singh said.

The Congress had bagged 28 seats in the 60-member House in the 2017 Assembly polls and emerged as the single-largest party.

The BJP, which secured 21 seats, had joined hands with regional parties and Governor Najma Heptulla had invited the coalition to form the government.