JD(U) Manipur chief withdraws support to BJP, Nitish Kumar expels him

While the JDU's move will not affect the stability of the government, it sends a strong message, given the party's role as a key ally of the BJP at both the Centre and in Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party Janata Dal (United) sacked its Manipur chief Kshetrimayum Biren Singh today, after Singh wrote to the state’s Governor saying the JD(U) had withdrawn support to the BJP-led state government.

 

However, the JD(U) central leadership quickly distanced itself from this decision, stating that Singh had acted without consulting the party’s central leaders. The party also clarified that its lone MLA in the state, Md Abdul Nasir, would not sit in the opposition bench in the Assembly, as initially reported.

 

This clarification came after the party's central leadership overruled the decision made by its Manipur unit.

 

While the JD(U)'s withdrawal of support will not affect the stability of the BJP-led government, it sends a strong political signal, given the party's role as a key ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and Bihar.

 

Recently, the Conrad Sangma-led National People's Party, which governs Meghalaya, also withdrew support from the N Biren Singh-led government in Manipur.

 

The JD(U)'s move comes months after five of its six MLAs elected in the 2022 Assembly election switched allegiance to the BJP, bolstering the ruling party's numbers in the 60-member Assembly.

 

The BJP currently holds 37 seats, supported by five MLAs from the Naga People's Front and three Independents, giving it a comfortable majority. Despite this, the defection of the JD(U) MLAs remains under judicial scrutiny in the Speaker's Tribunal under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

 

Kshetrimayum Biren Singh, in a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, had earlier stated, "After Janata Dal (United) became a part of the INDIA bloc, support to the BJP-led government was withdrawn." However, the JD(U)'s central leadership has distanced itself from this decision, leading to Singh's dismissal.

 

The party has now clarified that its lone MLA, Md Abdul Nasir, will continue to support the ruling dispensation, and no formal change in his seating arrangement in the Assembly will be made.