Sonia Gandhi appoints T. N. Haokip as Manipur Congress unit president

In a bid to prevent a Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh-like political crisis in Manipur, Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed T. N. Haokip as President of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), replacing Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei.

After meeting the representatives of the 25 dissident Congress legislators from Manipur earlier this month, Gandhi had last week met Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi and Gaikhangam to discuss the looming political crisis in the state.

The dissident group had reportedly proposed T.N. Haokip, as their preferred choice for the MPCC president.

In the 2012 assembly polls, the Congress had bagged 42 seats in the 60 seat Manipur Assembly. Their strength went up to 47 after five MLAs from Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) joined Congress on April 3, 2014.

The Congress dissidents have served an ultimatum to Ibobi Singh, asking him to either induct them in the ministry or face consequences. The dissidents have been demanding a major reshuffle for months so that they could be inducted into the cabinet.

Manipur is expected to go to polls in February 2017.