He made the announcement during a press conference held at his residence at Molnom village, Churachandpur district. He said that he had contested the assembly elections eight times since 1994 and got elected in the 1998 bye election.  

TT Haokip also categorically said that he was in the BJP party but he did not have the chance to speak except at Zero hours in the assembly.

He once raised the issue of Henglep road, at which the then opposition leader O Ibobi Singh applauded by saying that in his 15 years as CM of Manipur, he never heard about the Henglep Road, he said.