Manipur CM N Biren Singh won the confidence motion via voice vote on Monday, after eight Congress MLAs surprisingly skipped the day-long special Assembly session. Singh had moved the trust motion on Friday in the wake of a no-confidence motion by the Opposition Congress .

“We have won the trust vote by voice vote. Whatever the Speaker is doing is as per the rules. The opposition MLAs were in less number,” said Biren Singh after   BJP govt winning trust vote in Assembly.

The Manipur Congress chief whip K Govindas had issued a whip to its legislators, asking them to vote against the trust motion moved by the Chief Minister.

The three-line whip said all members of the party must be in the House from 11 am of August 10 till the end of the session and take part in discussion and voting as per the directive of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee.

The 60-member House now has a strength of 53, including the Speaker Y Khemchand, after four members were disqualified under the anti-defection law and three BJP MLAs resigned. The Congress has 24 MLAs and the ruling coalition has 29 members, including the Speaker, 18 BJP legislators, four MLAs each from NPP and NPF, one each from Trinamool Congress and Lok Janshakti Party and an Independent MLA.

Later, Congress leader and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said there is no rule of law in Manipur. “We are demanding division of vote. The Speaker didn’t allow division of vote despite all Congress MLAs’ demanding the same instead of voice vote,” Singh said.