The BJP on Sunday edged past the Congress in the race to form the next government in Manipur, despite coming second in the recently held elections. After day-long parleys, the party managed to secure support from the National People’s Party (NPP) – which has four MLAs – to take their tally to 30 seats. The NPP and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will be part of the government while the Naga People’s Front (LPF) will extend outside support,” Conrad Sangma, NPP leader and Lok Sabha MP, told HT. “We have the support of more MLAs, and have already reached the 31 figure – but that will be disclosed later. Meanwhile, the Congress also seemed to be trying to gather support from “like-minded parties” to retain power.

Source: Hindustan Times March 12, 2017 14:44 UTC