IMPHAL: Manipur BJP MLA Pukhrem Saratchandra Singh is set to join Congress after he was denied a ticket to contest the forthcoming assembly election.
Saratchandra Singh is an MLA from Moirang assembly constituency in the Bishnupur district.
“Only one BJP MLA, Saratchandra Singh, who is a former IAS officer, is joining Congress today,” TOI quoted a Congress spokesperson as saying.
The BJP announced the list of 60 candidates for the Assembly elections in Manipur on Sunday.
The saffron party has fielded Congress deserter Mairembam Prithviraj in place of Saratchnadra Singh in Moirang.
In the 2017 election, Saratchandra had defeated Prthiviraj by a margin of 375 votes.
Apart from Sartachandra Singh, BJP has denied tickets to two more incumbent MLAs–M Rameshwar Singh (Kakching constituency) and Y Erabot Singh (Wangkhei constituency).
After the announcement of candidates for the Assembly polls, the BJP has suffered an exodus of leaders in the state.
Angry BJP supporters on Sunday burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Biren Singh over denial of tickets to some ticket aspirants.
Manipur will go to the polls in two phases on February 27 and March 3.