Imphal: Five of the six JDU MLAs in Manipur left the party and joined the BJP. In Manipur, the defection of MLAs is considered legitimate as the number of defecting MLAs is more than two-thirds of the total number of MLAs. JD(U) National Council meeting was just hours before the MLAs jumped the gun.
JDU MLAs Khumukcham Joykisan Singh, Ngursangiyur, MD Achab Uddin, Thanjam Arunkumar and LM Khaute joined the BJP. Manipur Assembly Secretary K Meghajit Singh welcomed MLAs. The MLAs joined the BJP saying they had lost faith in Nitish Kumar.
In the assembly elections held in March this year, the JD(U) managed to win six of the 38 constituencies contested.
Both Khaute and Arunkumar had earlier tried to contest the assembly elections on BJP tickets but joined the JDU after the party denied them a seat.
