Chaoba Singh

Imphal, Jan. 6: Lok Sabha MP Thounaojam Chaoba Singh has been elected the consensus president of the Manipur unit of the BJP at the party office here today.

BJP in-charge of the Northeast V. Satish and the outgoing president and national secretary Meinam Bhorot Singh were present during the election.

The party high command sent Satish to ensure that Chaoba was elected without any contest, in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Chaoba Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha on a Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) ticket, which was formed by a breakaway group of the Congress. He joined the BJP in November last year.

His joining of the MSCP entailed a lot of controversies after he handed over the office complex of the MSCP to the BJP claiming that the MSCP had merged with the BJP, a claim challenged by the remaining MSCP group, headed by M. Hemanta Singh.

Following the tussle between the BJP and the MSCP over the office complex located near the Imphal Raj Bhavan, the district administration promulgated prohibitory orders within the office complex.

No one is still allowed to enter the complex.

Soon after his election to the Lok Sabha, Chaoba Singh was inducted as the minister of state for youth affairs and sports. But he was dropped from the council of ministers.

Immediately after the announcement of his unanimous election as the new party chief Chaoba said the BJP would put up candidates in both the Inner and Outer Manipur Parliamentary constituencies. He is currently representing the Inner.

Chaoba added that the BJP would consult all the partners of the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA).

The DPA comprises the BJP, the Federal Party of Manipur, the Manipur Peoples Party and some other splinter groups of the state.