Manipur cabinet expansion: The expansion raises the Manipur cabinet strength to 12.
Six new ministers joined the Biren Singh government today, with the BJP-led government going in for a cabinet expansion just one month after it returned to power in Manipur.
Manipur Governor La Ganeshan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the six new ministers, of whom five are from the BJP and one from ally Naga People's Front (NPF).
The new ministers include senior BJP leaders Latpao Haokip, a minister in the previous BJP government, and Th Basanta Singh, a former IPS officer and son of former Union minister Chaoba Singh.
Three young leaders - Dr Sapam Ranjan Singh, L Susindro Meitei, and H Dingo Singh - too became part of the new Manipur cabinet.
Kasim Vasum of the NPF was also sworn in as a minister.
The expansion raises the cabinet strength to 12 with the BJP having 10 ministers and NPF two.
The cabinet expansion comes within a month of N Biren Singh taking charge as the state's Chief Minister for the second consecutive time.
Mr Singh and five other ministers were sworn in on March 21, after the BJP won the recent assembly election winning 32 seats in the 60-member assembly.
Four BJP MLAs -- Th Biswajit Singh, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Govindas Konthoujam and Nemcha Kipgen -- and NPF's Awangbou Newmai were inducted into the cabinet that time.