Five JD(U) MLAs joined the ruling BJP in Manipur on Friday, a statement said.
The statement issued by Manipur Assembly Secretary K Meghajit Singh said that the Speaker was pleased to accept the merger of five JD(U) MLAs with the BJP under the tenth schedule of the Constitution.
The JD(U) had won six of the 38 constituencies it had contested in the assembly elections held in March this year. The JD(U) MLAs who joined the BJP are Kh Joykishan, N Sanate, Md Achab Uddin, former DGP L M Khaute and Thangjam Arunkumar.
Khaute and Arunkumar had previously sought to contest the assembly polls on BJP tickets but joined the JD(U) after being denied candidature by the saffron party.