The Manipur Speaker’s Tribunal has scheduled a hearing on February 7 regarding the disqualification plea against five Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] MLAs who defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shortly after the 2022 state assembly elections, according to legal representatives involved in the case.
The petition, filed by Manipur Congress vice-president Hareshwar Goswami, seeks the disqualification of the five legislators under the anti-defection law.
Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh took up the matter on Tuesday and decided that it would be heard again on Friday, February 7, according to Goswami’s counsel, N Bhupendra Meitei.
The JD(U) had contested 38 seats in the March 2022 Manipur assembly elections and secured six victories. However, in a swift political realignment, five of its MLAs — Kh Joykishan, N Sanate, Md Achab Uddin, L M Khaute, and Thangjam Arunkumar — defected to the BJP, strengthening the ruling party’s grip on the state legislature.
According to Meitei, only Kh Joykishan has submitted a counter-affidavit, while the other four MLAs have yet to respond.
“The Speaker has decided to take up the matter expeditiously, with the next hearing set for February 7,” he said.
The case against the JD(U) legislators is not an isolated one. The Congress recently filed separate disqualification petitions against four National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs who, despite their party officially severing ties with the BJP-led government two months ago, continued to support the ruling coalition.
The outcome of these hearings could have significant implications for Manipur’s political landscape, potentially altering the balance of power in the assembly and influencing future party dynamics.