MSCP likely to merge with Congress in Manipur

IMPHAL, May 22 ? Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), constituent of the six-party ruling Secular Progressive Front (SPF), is likely to merge with major ruling front partner, Congress ?very soon? according to MSCP and Congress sources here Wednesday, reports PTI. State Congress unit president and Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and MSCP president Th Chaoba Singh had already left for Delhi to discuss the issue with Congress high command and party national functionaries in charge of Manipur, the sources said. The Congress legislature party in an emergency meeting Tuesday had also decided to forward the proposal from the MSCP to merge with the Congress to the party High Command, Congress sources said. The sources said some party leaders objected to the joining of MSCP president Th Chaoba Singh (a member of Parliament from the State) to Congress though they welcomed the merge of seven MSCP MLAs with Congress.

Congress sources said a final decision whether MSCP would be merged with the party or not was likely to be taken on May 24 by the party?s High Command. The Congress which heads the ruling SPF has a strength of 20 members in the 60 member Manipur Assembly and the party?s strength would be raised to 27 if the MSCP merged with the Congress. The present strength of the SPF is : Congress 20, CPI 5, MSCP 7, Nationalist Congress Party 3, Manipur National Conference 1 and Democratic People?s Party 2. MSCP sources said even if MSCP president Chaoba Singh was not allowed to join the Congress, party MLAs were prepared to merge with the Congress. Sources said an underground organisation had earlier threatened the party MLAs to part with the MSCP president latest by May 22. The underground organisation had claimed that Chaoba Singh was ?doing things against this particular organisation,? the sources said. Chaoba Singh had on earlier occasions denied media reports that he was doing things against any particular underground organisation.