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Who is Yumnam Khemchand, set to be new Manipur CM? BJP to form new govt after year of Prez rule in violence-hit state
Was elected to Manipur assembly in 2017 and 2022 from Singjamei constituency; has served as speaker of the Vidhan Sabha and later minister in Biren Singh govt
Yumnam Khemchand Singh was on Tuesday chosen as the BJP legislative party chief in Manipur, clearing the way for the formation of a new government by the party, a year after President's rule was imposed amid large-scale ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki Zo people.
Yumnam Khemchand is a longtime politician and served in top positions before. He was a minister in N Biren Singh's BJP government before central rule came in.
He was elected to the Manipur legislative assembly in 2017 and 2022 from Singjamei constituency. He remained speaker of the assembly in his first stint as MLA, up to 2022.
After winning in 2022, he became a cabinet minister in second Biren Singh ministry. He held portfolios of municipal administration and housing development (MAHUD); rural development and panchayati raj; and education.
He served until February 2025, when President's Rule was declared in Manipur.
Manipur set to get a new BJP govt
Yumnam Khemchand Singh was elected BJP legislature party leader at the party's headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday evening.
The decision came just days ahead of the end of a year of President's rule in the northeastern state.
Next, there will be a meeting of BJP's NDA partners in the state, news agency ANI reported.
President's rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13 last year and was later extended by Parliament in August for another six months. While there was no elected government, the assembly was not dissolved.
This means the new government can remain in place till 2027, which is when the current House's tenure ends.
In the 60-seat Manipur assembly, the BJP has a strong majority with 37 seats, and its main partner is the National People's Party (NPP) with seven.
Former CM N Biren Singh had said on Sunday that NDA partners in the state have been called to Delhi for a meeting. "Let's hope for a positive response," Biren Singh told reporters.
Biren Singh had stepped down as CM following months of intermittent violence in the state, following ethnic tensions between the Kuki Zo and Meitei ethnic groups.
The Union home ministry in December 2025 gave another extension to the probe commission looking into the violence, instructing it to submit its report “as soon as possible, but no later than May 20, 2026”.
The violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, with clashes that soon gripped large parts of the state.
