Move to Restore Elected Government in Manipur, Yumnam Khemchand Singh to be Next CM
NEW DELHI, Feb 3: Paving the way for the restoration of an elected government in the ethnic strife-hit north-eastern state of Manipur, the BJP legislature party on Tuesday elected Yumnam Khemchand Singh (62) as its leader.
To keep the Kuki-Zo community also on board, Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki-Zo MLA from Kangpokpi, is likely to be appointed the Deputy Chief Minister, party sources said. She will be the first woman and the first Kuki-Zo to hold the post. Another Deputy Chief Minister is likely to be from Naga People’s Front, BJP’s alliance partner. The meeting was attended by Members of Legislature Party (MLA) from Meitei, Kuki-Zo and the Naga communities.
Manipur BJP, in an X post, said, “Heartiest congratulations to Hon’ble Shri @YKhemchandSingh on being elected as the BJP Legislature Party Leader of Manipur. On behalf of BJP Manipur Pradesh, we wish you great success. Your experience, dedication, and leadership will further strengthen the party and serve the aspirations of the people of Manipur.”
President’s Rule was imposed on Manipur on February 13, 2025 and the State Assembly was placed under suspended animation. The tenure of Manipur Assembly ends in February 2027.
Mr Singh, an MLA from Singjamei constituency in Manipur, former Speaker of the Manipur Assembly and a Taekwondo player is said to be an acceptable choice for the Chief Minister’s post among the Kuki-Zo MLAs and also has the backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), sources said.
On December 8 in one of the first such attempt, Mr Singh who belongs to the majority Meitei community, visited two Kuki-Zo villages in the two Naga-dominated districts of Ukhrul and Kamjong. He also met the Kuki-Zo people, living at a nearby relief camp who were displaced from their homes in Imphal Valley during the May 2023 ethnic violence. The ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the Meitei people which started on May 3, 2023 has claimed the lives of more than 250 people and displaced more than 60,000 people from their homes.
There are 37 BJP MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, which includes seven Kuki-Zo legislators from the party. Five Kuki-Zo MLA’s attended Tuesday’s meeting. Though the Tuesday’s meeting was attended by Kuki-Zo MLAs, not all legislators were on board.
Paolienlal Haokip, BJP MLA from Saikot constituency in Churachandpur who belongs to the Kuki-Zo community, said he met the party leaders separately and told them that till there was an assurance on a political solution for the community, he would not join the government. The Kuki-Zo civil society groups as well as the insurgent groups in suspension of operations pact (SoO) with the government are demanding Union Territory with legislative assembly for the Kuki-Zo areas. The demand for a separate administration was first mooted by the Kuki-Zo MLAs in 2023.
“The BJP party leaders, including Mr Santhosh said the collective wisdom would be to join the government and then explore a political solution. I told them that the situation will flare up again if they go-ahead with government formation. I understand it is the position of the party, but for me my people are above the party, the core issues have to be addressed first,” Mr Haokip who skipped the BJP legislative party meeting said.
At Tuesday’s legislature party meeting, the former chief minister N Biren Singh whose resignation on February 9, 2025 triggered a political crisis in the State and which was followed by the imposition of President’s Rule, was present at the dais when Mr Singh was felicitated in the presence of Mr Santhosh, BJP’s Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra, central observer Tarun Chugh and BJP Manipur President A Sharda Devi.
Over the past three days, the BJP central leadership asked all its legislators as well as alliance partners from Manipur to be present in New Delhi for a crucial meeting. Since there is no provision of extending the President’s Rule beyond one-year without moving a constitution amendment bill in Parliament, the government was inclined to exercise all options to restore the elected government, bringing the Meitei, Kuki-Zo and the Naga legislators on the same table. On August 5, 2025, Parliament approved the extension of President’s Rule in Manipur for another six-months till February 13.
The political activity is culmination of a series of security review meetings chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on January 2 and January 5 respectively where the “pros and cons of restoration of an elected government was discussed,” official sources said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
