The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday elected Yumnam Khemchand Singh as its Manipur legislature party leader. He is all set to take oath as the next Chief Minister of the state.
Sources said Manipur may also get a woman Deputy Chief Minister. Nemcha Kipgen, a senior Kuki leader and former minister, is among the top contenders for the post, news agency PTI reported.
The leadership’s decision was finalized after a meeting of BJP MLAs from Manipur held in Delhi, just days before the President’s rule in the state is set to end. NDA partners from Manipur also met later on Tuesday after a meeting of BJP legislators.
Is Yalmaming Usukm?
Yumnam Khemchand Singh grabbed attention on December 8 last year when he became the first Meitei MLA to visit relief camps sheltering Kuki IDPs in Ukhrul’s Litan and Chassad areas of Kamjong district. During the visit, he interacted with the displaced families and listened to their concerns.
Singh previously served as the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2022. In 2022, he was inducted into the second government led by N Biren Singh as a Cabinet Minister where he was given key portfolios including Urban Housing and Urban Development (MAHUD), Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Education.
Tarun Chugh was appointed as the Central Observer
On Monday, the BJP Parliamentary Board appointed Tarun Chugh as the central observer for the Manipur BJP legislature party leader election.
“On Sunday, all the legislators were asked to come to Delhi for Monday’s meeting. All 37 MLAs are in Delhi for the meeting. The meeting was supposed to be held on Monday evening, but after the latest announcement about the central observer, we all got information that the meeting has been postponed to 3 pm tomorrow,” a state BJP leader told HT.
Consultation with NDA partners
Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had earlier confirmed that all NDA partners in the state had been invited for discussions in the national capital.
“All NDA partners have been invited. Let’s hope for a positive response,” Singh told reporters, according to PTI. He added that governance is a continuous process and efforts are being made to improve the situation in Manipur.
Singh resigned as chief minister last year, following which President’s rule was imposed in Manipur on 13 February 2025.
The decision followed months of intermittent violence linked to ethnic tensions between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. The parliament extended the president’s rule for another six months in August last year.
The Union Home Ministry has also extended the tenure of the three-member inquiry commission probing the ethnic violence in the state, according to an earlier HT report.
The panel created on June 4, 2023 now has until May 20, 2026 to present its findings.
(With agency input)
(Tagtranslate) Ethnic Tension