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Guwahati : Amid the BJP claiming the support of 32 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur assembly, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has refused to resign after governor Najma Heptullah asked him to submit his resignation to start the formation process of the next ministry.
Refusing to resign, Ibobi Singh said that, he has the majority and governor would have to invite him to form the government.
'Being the largest party, must allowed to form the government,' Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam said.
On Sunday night, Manipur governor Najma Hetullah asked incumbent Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh of Congress to submit his resignation immediately.
The governor asked Ibobi to submit his resignation as starting the process of the next government formation.
A highly placed source said that, the Manipur governor asked the incumbent CM during the meeting held at Rajbhawan last night with Ibobi Singh along with his deputy Gaikhamgam and state Congress president TN Haokip.
'As per rules, the next government formation wouldn't be started until and unless the present CM resigns,â€Â the source said.
Meanwhile, Manipur governor Najma Heptullah said that, she has not received Ibobi Singh’s resignation letter yet.
The source further said that, Ibobi Singh and Congress had staked claim to the next ministry by showing a list of 38 Congress MLAs and also showing the names of four National People's Party (NPP) MLAs in an ordinary piece of paper and claimed to have support from these MLAs.
"But the governor rejected Ibobi's claim after seeing the ordinary piece of paper and asked his to resign immediately," the source said.
Meanwhile, BJP has started the process of formation the next government after the saffron party has its own 21 MLAs and secured support of 11 others including 4 MLAs each of Naga People's Front (NPF), NPP and one legislator of LJP.
Assam finance minister and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma said that, a Congress MLA and the lone MLA of AITC had joined BJP taking the party number to 32.
On Sunday night, the political drama in Manipur added a new twist after Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh, one of the 28 Congress legislators, who won from the Adro constituency and the lone AITC MLA Tongbram Robindro had joined the BJP.
Sources said that, apart from Shyamkumar, 19 others Congress MLAs would likely to join BJP within short period.
Meanwhile, the BJP's legislature party leader selection process started at a hotel in Imphal in presence of top leaders of the saffron party including Union minister's Prakash Javadekar, Pijyush Goyal, party's national leader Ram Madhav, Prahlad Patel.
On the other hand, Congress accused that, BJP has murdered democracy in Manipur.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
