9 Manipur MLAs face uncertainty as speaker’s tribunal reserves verdict

Guwahati: Fate of nine Manipur legislators, including five from BJP, hangs in balance in the legislative assembly speaker's tribunal, where petitions seeking their disqualification from the house await adjudication.
Hoping for an early judgement from the tribunal, state Congress president Keisham Meghachandra Singh announced on Friday that his party will soon move a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led alliance state govt. the budget session of the assembly begins on Monday. "Brahmastra Missile will surely hit one of the Double Engine!" the MPCC president wrote on X.
The speaker's tribunal, after completing the final hearing on Friday, reserved its ruling on the plea seeking disqualification of the five BJP MLAs who switched sides shortly after winning the 2022 state assembly elections as JD(U) candidates.
The disqualification petition was filed by Manipur Congress vice-president Hareshwar Goshwami against Kh Joykishan, N Sanate, Thangjam Arunkumar, Md Achab Uddin, and LM Khaute.
Lead counsel N Bupendra Meitei said, "The final hearing concluded today in connection with the disqualification case of the five JD(U) MLAs who had joined BJP. The speaker, after listening carefully, informed the judgement is kept reserved. We petitioned in 2022, and we are optimistic that the judgement will be announced soon." On Thursday, the tribunal sent notices to four NPP MLAs on petitions filed by Manipur Congress vice-president Hareshwar Goswami last month seeking their disqualification after they attended a meeting of BJP legislators convened by CM N Biren Singh in November last year, days after the NPP withdrew its support to the state govt.
The notices were sent to M Rameshwar Singh, J Pamei, Irengbam Nalini Devi, and Thongam Shanti Singh. The speaker's tribunal will hear the matter at 9.30 am on Feb 12.
"I hope justice will be delivered expeditiously in deciding the disqualification cases against the 4 NPP MLAs under the Xth Schedule to the Constitution of India," the MPCC president wrote on X and added that the tribunal will give its final judgement as soon as possible in a few days on the disqualification petitions against the five JD(U) turncoats.
Congress lacks sufficient numerical strength in the house to secure passage of the no-confidence motion, but the MPCC president's strong-worded warning on X stems from three concurrent political developments unfolding in the state's political landscape prior to the assembly session.
One of these developments is the ongoing speculation of the ouster of CM Biren Singh, fuelled by reported discontentment and dissatisfaction among BJP legislators, and the other two are the pending verdicts on the disqualification of the nine MLAs.