Two Manipur MLAs join BJP ahead of state polls

NEW DELHI: Two Manipur MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday, with the party expressing confidence that it will win the upcoming assembly polls in the state with victory in two-third seats.

Rajkumar Imo Singh, who comes from a notable political family in the state associated with the Congress, and Yamthong Haokip, a Congress MLA, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and the party's in-charge for Manipur Sambit Patra.

Singh was also elected on a Congress ticket but was expelled from the party for his alleged anti-party activities.

He told reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a lot of work for the country's prosperity, peace and stability.

In 2017, Manipur was known for law and order problems, regular blockades and the divide between its hilly and valley regions but this is no longer so, he said.

His father Rajkumar Jaichandra Singh was Manipur's chief minister and the first Union minister from the state.

Sonowal welcomed them into the party and asserted that the northeast regions have established their identity under the Modi government which has ensured that Union ministers and bureaucrats regularly visit the area to address issues facing it.

Patra said the BJP is proud to have these eminent personalities from the state in its fold and expressed confidence that it will win two-third seats in the assembly polls.

The BJP had come to power in the state for the first time in 2017.