The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is expected to name the Chief Minister of Manipur within the next 48 hours.
The two top contenders for the post — incumbent Nongthombam Biren Singh and senior leader Thongam Biswajit — along with State BJP president Adhikarimayum Sharda left Imphal for New Delhi on Tuesday after the party’s central leadership summoned them.
They are expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Jagat Prasad Nadda late in the afternoon.
The summoning followed a tea party Mr. Singh had thrown for the newly-elected MLAs at his residence on Monday evening in what is said to have been a show of strength.
One camp said less than a third of the 32 MLAs attended the meeting. The other claimed more than 25 MLAs honoured the invitation.
The BJP had earlier named Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Kiren Rijiju as the central observers for the formation of the government in Manipur.
Mr. Singh and Mr. Biswajit had retained their seats, Heingang and Thongju, comfortably.
Although the BJP has majority in the 60-member House, two of the three independent MLAs have pledged support. Two of the smaller parties — the Janata Dal (United) with six seats and the Naga People’s Front with five — have also offered their support.
The National People’s Party, the second-largest party with seven seats, has left it to the BJP for taking it on board after five years of alliance in Manipur. The newly-floated Kuki People’s Alliance is also expected to support the BJP.
That would virtually leave the Congress with five MLAs as the only party in the Opposition.
