Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has officially withdrawn its support for the BJP-led government in Manipur under Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. The announcement was made by the JD(U) Manipur unit through a letter submitted to the Governor, stating that its sole MLA, Md. Abdul Nasir, will now function as an opposition MLA in the Assembly.
The letter cited the defection of five out of six JD(U) MLAs to the BJP after the 2022 Manipur Assembly elections as a key reason for the decision. These defections, it noted, are still under legal scrutiny before the Speaker’s Tribunal under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The party also pointed out that its decision to withdraw support aligns with its participation in the INDIA alliance, a coalition formed to challenge the BJP. “Our lone MLA, Md. Abdul Nasir, is seated on the Opposition Bench in the Assembly as per the Speaker’s arrangement,” the letter stated.
However, the JD(U)’s central leadership has dismissed this move. National spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad called the state unit’s action a “baseless claim,” emphasizing that the central leadership was neither consulted nor informed. “The JD(U) continues to support the BJP government in Manipur and at the Centre,” Prasad clarified, adding that the state unit had been asked to explain its unilateral decision.
The conflicting narratives have raised questions about internal coordination within JD(U) and the future of its relationship with the BJP in Manipur and beyond.
