Guwahati: After nearly a year-long vacuum, a government in Manipur was installed on Wednesday with senior Meitei politician and BJP leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh being sworn in as the chief minister.
BJP’s Nemcha Kipgen, from the Kuki community, and Naga People’s Front MLA Losii Dikho, from the Naga community, took oath as deputy chief ministers, with Kipgen becoming the first woman to hold the post in Manipur. She virtually took oath from the Manipur Bhawan, New Delhi.
Two other Meitei MLAs – Govindas Konthoujam (BJP) and Khwairakpam Loken Singh (National People’s Party) – were sworn in as ministers.
Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla administered the oath of office and secrecy to the five at a ceremony held at the Lok Bhawan in Imphal. The swearing-in ceremony followed the revocation of President’s rule which was imposed on February 13 last year.
Two Kuki-Zo MLAs – former Director General of Police LM Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate (both from BJP) – had arrived in the state capital Imphal from New Delhi along with other NDA MLAs on Wednesday, triggering the speculation that they would also be sworn in. It remains to be seen if they are inducted into the ministry in the coming days or if they would intend to be inducted.
Briefly talking to the media after the swearing-in ceremony, Khemchand said Manipur has 36 communities and therefore, it is natural that the state got two deputy chief ministers representing two major communities.
Asked about challenges, he said there would always be challenges, whether it is sports or politics. He said the new government would prioritise development and growth. “A lot of work needs to be done,” he further stated.
Kipgen’s swearing-in as one of the two deputy chief ministers is the talking point because some Kuki-Zo organisations had asked the MLAs from the community not to be a part of the government. These organisations have held their ground on the Union Territory with separate legislature demand for the community.
The Kuki-Zo Council had warned that any MLA from the community who chose to disregard this “collective decision” by joining the government, would do so in his/her individual capacity.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur had stated that no Kuki-Zo MLA should, under any circumstances, associate with or lend legitimacy to a “so-called popular government that stands in complete disregard of the suffering, aspirations, and political will of the Kuki-Zo people.”
Earlier in the day, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notification announcing that President Droupadi Murmu has revoked the President’s Rule in Manipur with immediate effect.
According to a proclamation published in the Gazette of India (Extraordinary), President Murmu revoked the earlier order imposed under Article 356(2) of the Constitution. The original proclamation had been issued on February 13, 2025, it said, adding that the latest notification, signed by the President on Wednesday (February 4, 2026), formally ends President’s Rule in the state.
“In exercise of the powers 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,” the proclamation read.
The revocation cleared the decks for the formation of a new government led by the BJP. The state’s BJP legislators, who met in New Delhi on Tuesday, elected Singh as the BJP legislature party leader.
The NDA legislature party leader, Y Khemchand Sing,h staked a claim to form a government in Manipur, state BJP chief A Sharda Devi said.
“We met the governor in the presence of our newly elected legislature party leader and BJP observer Tarun Chugh. The NDA staked a claim to form a popular government in the state,” Devi told reporters here.
Two MLAs from the Kuki-Zo majority districts of Churachandpur and Pherzawl were among the delegates who met Bhalla at the governor’s house.
The development comes a day after the BJP legislature party of Manipur elected 62-year-old Singh as its leader at a meeting held at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
The meeting was attended by 35 of the 37 BJP MLAs, besides the party’s central observer Tarun Chugh, its northeast in-charge Sambit Patra, and BJP state president A Sharda Devi, among others.
Subsequently, another meeting was held at the Manipur Bhavan in the national capital, where MLAs of NDA constituents in Manipur — six of the National People’s Party (NPP), five of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and three Independents — and BJP legislators were in attendance.
They endorsed Singh as the leader and Nemcha Kipgen, who belongs to the Kuki community, as the deputy leader of the NDA legislature party.
Singh said, “I am confident that, with the formation of the new Council of Ministers, peace and development will serve as the guiding principles of the new government.”
The Singjamei legislator also said, “The political journey towards the vision of #ViksitBharatViksit and Viksit Manipur is not without challenges, but our priorities will remain firmly aligned with achieving these ambitious goals. I extend my sincere gratitude to all for the trust, responsibility, and honour bestowed upon me.”
Manipur has been grappling with severe law-and-order challenges since May 3, 2023, when ethnic clashes erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi communities. The violence, rooted in disputes over land rights, job quotas, and economic benefits, claimed at least 260 lives and displaced nearly 60,000 people.
Following the imposition of President’s Rule, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been engaging with various sections of society to assess the situation and explore measures to restore peace and normalcy in the northeastern state.
