Former advisor to Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur, Leishiyo Keishing, sitting MLA of 43 Phungyar constituency (ST) of Kamjong district has been elected unopposed as the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) chairman on Wednesday at 11:30AM.
Naga People’s Party (NPF) Manipur state unit, the alliance party to the ruling BJP government, MLA Leishiyo was the lone candidate to have filed nomination paper from the ruling party, while no MLA nomination was filed from the opposition camp for the post.
According to source, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) held a meeting on Tuesday and unanimously decided not to field candidate for the post.
Also read: MLA Leishiyo Keishing resigns as Advisor to CM & Chairman EC
All 20 MLAs elected from the hill districts of the state are members of the Hill Areas Committee. Out of the 20 MLAs elected from the hill districts, only 16 MLAs remains. Nine with the ruling parties and seven with the opposition Congress party. Four have already resigned.
The post of the chairman was lying vacant after T Thangzalam Haokip resigned from the Manipur Legislative Assembly in June. Haokip was among the three BJP legislators who tendered resignation as members of the Manipur Legislative Assembly after quitting BJP ahead of the election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat of Manipur held on June 19.
The Parliament provides the Constitutional safeguards in form of an amendment, Article 371 (C) in the Constitution of India under the North Eastern State Reorganization Act, 1972.
Under Article 371 (C) in the Legislative Assembly of Manipur, in the Constitution of India, the Hill Area Committee is empowered by the Constitution to monitor the law making and administration of hill areas. This particular Article was included due to the tribal leaders’ demand for constitutional safeguard for the tribal people at the time of movement for statehood in Manipur.