Imphal, May 4: A sitting BJP councillor of the Imphal Municipal Corporation today joined the Congress, boosting the ruling party's morale ahead of next month's municipal polls.
Yumlembam Ratikanta Singh, councillor of ward 19 of Yaiskul Assembly constituency, said he was resigning to protest against the "undemocratic functioning" of the BJP and formally joined the Congress along with his supporters.
The civic polls will be held on June 2.
With Ratikanta Singh's addition, 17 of the 27 councillors in the Imphal Municipal Corporation are now from the Congress. "His joining will definitely strengthen the party. We congratulate the councillor for taking the right decision to come to us and we welcome him and his supporters," state Congress president T.N. Haokip said.
The Manipur PCC organised a programme at the party headquarters here today to felicitate the councillor and his supporters.
"We are in power in the corporation and we will retain power. Imphal city cannot be handed over to some other party. Only the Congress can develop Imphal city. The Congress is our community and our community is the Congress," Haokip said.
Stating that leaders of other parties were keen to come over to the Congress, Manipur PCC vice-president and party spokesperson N. Biren Singh said more leaders from other parties were in line to join the Congress soon.
"People are coming to our party and we will not let them down. Only the Congress can provide a stable government in Manipur. Manipuar has marched forward during the 14-year rule of the Congress," said Biren Singh.
The Congress MLA from Yaiskul, Elangbam Chand Singh, welcomed Ratikanta Singh to the party and assured the councillor that he would consult him regarding development activities in the constituency. Ratikanta Singh's departure from the BJP came just three days after BJP president Amit Shah appointed a new president of the party's Manipur unit.
Kshetrimayum Bhabananda Singh replaced Thounaojam Chaoba Singh as the new state president. Chaoba Singh has been appointed convener of the BJP state election management committee.
Incidentally, the two programmes - one to receive Ratikanta Singh into the Congress and the other for the new BJP state president - were held simultaneously at the respective party offices here.
At the BJP office, Bhabananda Singh said his agenda would be to root out the Congress from Manipur. He sought full cooperation from all the workers in this effort.
"The Congress government has failed on all fronts," Bhabananda Singh said.
Haokip shrugged off the attack. "We are performing. So naturally, performers always attract criticism," he said.
