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Yumnam Khemchand Singh stakes claim to form Manipur govt; Kuki bodies dissent
Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February 13 last year following the resignation of former chief minister N Biren Singh on February 9.
BJP legislator Yumnam Khemchand Singh, along with six other MLAs including two from the Kuki-Zo community, on Wednesday submitted a letter to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla staking claim to form the new government in the state.
The move comes a day after Khemchand Singh was elected leader of the BJP legislative party at a meeting held in the national capital on Tuesday.
The two Kuki-Zo MLAs who accompanied Singh to submit the letter at the Raj Bhavan (Lok Bhavan) in Imphal were Lalliang Mang Khaute from Churachandpur district and Ngursanglur Sanate from Pherzawl district. They are the first among the 10 Kuki-Zo legislators to visit Imphal since the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023.
The MLAs were accompanied by Manipur BJP president A Sharda Devi, BJP North East coordinator Sambit Patra, and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, who was appointed as the party’s central observer for the election of the legislative party leader in Manipur.
After submitting the letter, Chugh told the media that the proposed structure of having two deputy chief ministers would help accelerate development in the state. “Manipur will not stop but will move forward. We will work jointly under the leadership of ‘Khemji’ and implement the Prime Minister’s agenda focusing on welfare under ‘Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas’,” he said.
Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February 13 last year following the resignation of former chief minister N Biren Singh on February 9, with the assembly kept under suspended animation.
Meanwhile, the Union ministry of home affairs on Wednesday issued a notification revoking President’s Rule in the state with immediate effect. The notification said: “In exercise of the power conferred by clause (2) of Article 356 of the Constitution, I, Droupadi Murmu, President of India, hereby revoke the Proclamation issued by me under the said article on the 13th day of February, 2025, in relation to the State of Manipur, with effect from the 4th day of February, 2026.”
On the other hand, the Kuki Zo Council (KZC) clarified that any Kuki-Zo MLA who chooses to participate in the formation of the Manipur government would be doing so in an individual capacity, and that the council would not be responsible for the consequences of such decisions.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the KZC reiterated its position that Kuki-Zo people would not participate in the formation of a Manipur government until the state and central governments provide a clear written assurance committing to their political demand for a ‘Separate Administration’ in the form of a Union Territory with legislature. The council said this position was reaffirmed at a governing council meeting held on December 30.
Officials of the Manipur assembly said that the seventh session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly is expected to be held from Friday.
