Newmai News Network Imphal | September 29 A Tribunal of the Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker today quashed a petition seeking disqualification of five MLAs of the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), who had joined the Indian National Congress (INC). Former MSCP vice president Adim Panmei, who is the petitioner, challenged the move contending that the five legislators had violated the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution by merging the party with the Congress on April 4, 2014. Speaker Th. Lokeswar’s Tribunal concluded in its ruling that the case filed against the five MSCP legislators was ‘deemed unmerited.’ The party merged with the Congress along with its five MLAs Paonam Brojen, RK Imo, Nemcha Kipgen, Karam Thamarjit and Janghemlung Panmei. They were elected from their respective constituencies in the last state Assembly polls. Adim Panmei, however, joined the state BJP last year pending judgment of the case in the Tribunal. MSCP was set up following a group of ministers and MLAs led by former Chief Minister of Manipur W. Nipamacha breaking away from the Congress. The party was de-recognised by the Election Commission of India in June 2015 following the merger. The ruling came amidst hectic preparations by major political parties for the upcoming Assembly polls to be held early next year. All four state Trinamool Congress MLAs joined the INC recently increasing the strength of the ruling Congress to 51 in the 60-member house.
