As many as 12 Congress MLAs from Manipur resigned from their posts in the state party committee on Wednesday. The MLAs told reporters in Imphal said that they resigned from their posts in the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee while taking moral responsibility for the party’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections, The Morung Express reported. The legislators also said they will help strengthen the party at the grassroots.

L Loken, Kh Joykishan, Mohammad Abdul Nasir, DD Thaisii and Chaltonlien Amo resigned as vice presidents of the committee. Govindas Konthoujam and K Ranjit quit as the treasurer and chief whip of the Congress. Alfred Kanggam Arthur resigned as general secretary, DK Korungthang as secretary of Congress Legislators’ Party, RK Imo Singh and K Meghachandra as general secretaries and Mohammad Fazur Rahim as chairperson of the party’s minority cell.

The Congress lost both Lok Sabha seats in Manipur. The Bharatiya Janata Party won the Inner Manipur seat, while Outer Manipur voted for the Naga People’s Front.

Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee President Gaikhangam Gangmei denied rumours that the legislators will defect to any other party. Gaikhangam, who is also a member of Congress Working Committee, said the MLAs have followed in the footsteps of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who has offered to resign following the party’s nationwide debacle, the Imphal Free Press reported.

As many as eight Congress MLAs had defected to the BJP following the 2017 Manipur Assembly elections. However, Govindas Konthoujam asserted that this will not happen again. “Even as eight legislators had left the party and joined the BJP only for personal gains, the remaining 20 are still intact and are loyal Congress MLAs,” he claimed.