Manipur is one of seven states where Assembly polls are due to be held early next year. The Congress had narrowly lost the elections in 2017, and a coalition led by the BJP came to power. In April this year, the party's Manipur unit declared its goal was to win "not less than 45" of the 60 seats in the 2022 polls.
However, the Congress appears set to get a massive jolt. News agency ANI reported on Tuesday morning that Manipur Congress unit chief Govindas Konthoujam had resigned from his post, and at least eight MLAs of the party could join the BJP on Tuesday. Konthoujam is a six-time MLA representing the Bishnupur constituency and was a former cabinet minister. He was appointed state Congress chief in December.
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The Congress was the single-largest party in the 2017 election, winning 28 seats against 21 for the BJP. The Congress had already seen an erosion of its strength in the Assembly since 2017. As of Tuesday morning, the Congress had 17 MLAs in the Assembly. In August last year, six Congress MLAs resigned from the Assembly after they defied a party whip to attend a one-day session where a floor test was held, which the N. Biren Singh government won.