North East News Agency

 It was drama as usual at the formation of the new Manipur ministry. Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh  is now pre-occupied with the tough job to please all while choosing his team.

There is growing tension within the newlyy elected Congress members over miniterial berths. However, the Chief Minister has inducted six ministers into the Council of Ministers of the Congress led SPF Government. The swearing-in ceremony took place before the Chief Minister’s deperture to Guwahai. Ibobi Singh has gone to Guwahati to attend the NEC meeting.

The swearing-in ceremony took place eight days after O Ibobi was became the Chief Minister of the State for the second time. Th Debendra, Phungzathang Tonsing, Gaikhangam, TN Haokip, Md Allaudin and Pheiroijam Parijat were administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor Dr S. S. Sidhu during an oath taking ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. While Parijat belongs to CPI, the other five in from the Congress party. Interestingly, though Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD is supporting the SPF Government, none of its legislators found a place in the new Ministry.

With this induction of six Ministers in addition to the Chief Minister, the Council of Ministers has seven members now out of its permitted strength of 12. The  vacant Ministerial posts will be filled up later, informed the Chief Minister.

Among the six new Ministers, three belong to Imphal East district. They are Th Debendra, who got elected from Jiribam Assembly Constituency, Md Allaudin, who got elected from Keirao Assembly Constituency and Ph Parijat, who got elected from Lamlai Assembly Constituency. There are two ministers from Churachandpur district. They are Phungzathang Tonsing elected from Churachandpur and TN Haokip elected from Saikot. The lone member from Tamenglong district in the cabinet is Gaikhangam, who got elected from Nungba. But there are no ministers from Imphal West, Bishnupur and Senapati districts.

With no Congress or CPI MLAs elected from the Assembly Constituencies of Chandel, Ukhrul and Sadar Hills, these Assembly Constituencies are most likely to go unrepresented in the Council of Ministers. Explaning the selection criterion Chief Minister O Ibobi said that the six Ministers inducted were selected after comprehensively taking into consideration criteria such as seniority, location of their constituencies and districts to which they belong. He gave a hint that the Ministry could be expanded after the Assembly session. Moreover, the new Ministers would be allotted their portfolios within a short time, he said.

Congress insiders claimed that no MLA from Imphal West and Bishnupur districts were among the Ministers who took oath as serious disputes amongst the MLAs for ministerial berths had surfaced. Besides CPI is lobbying hard to include one more MLA in the Council of Ministers. On its part, the Congress has reportedly offered  the post of Speaker in place of Minister. Earlier the party rejected the offer to accept the post o Deputy Speaker.

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