Decode Politics: How and why Manipur finally moved back towards an elected govt
The decision to have Yumnam Khemchand Singh as the next Manipur CM signals that New Delhi now sees restoration of an elected government as both a constitutional necessity and a political imperative after a year of President’s Rule.
Y Khemchand Singh is a former Manipur minister and is a aide-turned-critic of former CM N Biren Singh. After nearly a year under President’s Rule, the BJP leadership has now cleared the path for the formation of a “popular government” in Manipur under the leadership of former Manipur Cabinet Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh. A known critic of former CM N Biren Singh, Khemchand’s name as the next CM was announced by Biren Singh himself following a meeting of BJP leaders at the party headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday.
The decision signals that New Delhi — long reluctant — now sees restoration of an elected government as both a constitutional necessity and a political imperative.
But this moment is not sudden. It is the outcome of a long arc that began with ethnic violence in May 2023, travelled through the steady political weakening of then CM Biren Singh, and continued through months of pressure from MLAs who argued that President’s Rule, while restoring a measure of order, could not substitute for political legitimacy.
How did the political collapse happen?
The current churn in Manipur has its roots in the outbreak of ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in May 2023. What began as clashes quickly hardened into geographic and political separation: Meiteis concentrated in the Valley, Kukis in the Hills, with large-scale displacement, relief camps, and deep mistrust.
Very early in the conflict, Kuki groups began demanding the resignation of Biren Singh as CM, accusing him of being partisan. Over time, this demand found echoes within the BJP itself. As the violence dragged on, a growing number of BJP MLAs — from different communities — concluded that Biren Singh had become a political liability and an obstacle to reconciliation.
By late 2024, this internal dissent had crystallised. On October 18, 2024, as many as 19 BJP MLAs wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Singh’s removal. In their letter, they warned that people were questioning the government’s ability to restore peace and said, “We, as fervent supporters of the BJP and having received a mandate from the people, feel a responsibility to save Manipur while also protecting the BJP from downfall in the state.” They argued that mere deployment of security forces would not resolve the crisis and stressed dialogue and reconciliation.
That November, Khemchand Singh openly criticised Biren Singh for refusing to resign amid the law-and-order crisis and unrest in the state. “I asked him to resign a couple of times, but he is not putting down his papers,” he had said, adding, “He could not bring peace till now, so why isn’t he resigning?”
How did the pressure mount on Biren Singh?
The pressure on Biren Singh intensified that month when Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP) — then a key NDA ally in the state — withdrew support, citing the government’s failure to “restore normalcy” and expressing “deep concern” over “innocent lives lost”.
While the BJP still had the numbers on paper, the political message was clear: support on the ground was eroding. At the same time, mobs burning houses of ministers and MLAs reflected the anger of a population that felt unprotected.
Inside the BJP, groups of MLAs began camping in Delhi for days, seeking meetings with the central leadership. They conveyed that Singh had “lost the trust” of a majority of party MLAs and warned that if no change came, they might back a no-confidence motion.
What led to the imposition of President’s Rule?
The turning point came in February 2025. With a Congress no-confidence motion looming and dissident BJP MLAs signalling they might cross-vote, Biren Singh resigned on February 9, 2025.
Before that, on February 3, Khemchand Singh, who was Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister in the Biren Singh government, had reached New Delhi and warned the BJP leadership that the government was likely to collapse if the Chief Minister was not replaced. Governor A K Bhalla met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on February 4 to apprise him of the situation.
Former Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, another critic of the CM, was also learnt to have visited Delhi at the same time and expressed a similar opinion to then BJP president J P Nadda.
President’s Rule was imposed on February 13, with the Assembly kept in suspended animation. This helped manage law and order, but also created a political vacuum.
Why MLAs wanted a ‘popular government’ back
From April 2025 onward, a new phase began: MLAs pushing not for a change of CM, but for a restoration of an elected government itself.
On April 29, 2025, 21 NDA MLAs wrote to the PM and Union Home Minister seeking the installation of a “popular government”. The signatories did not include Biren Singh or MLAs seen as close to him. They argued that despite hopes from President’s Rule, “no visible actions to bring peace and normalcy” were being seen, and civil society groups were blaming MLAs for not staking the claim to form a government.
In May, a group of MLAs met the Governor, claiming the support of 44 legislators. They told him that President’s Rule is “an emergency move” and should be a last resort.
The political logic was straightforward: MLAs felt they could not face voters in the next election if they remained mere spectators under central rule.
Why was the Centre hesitant initially?
For much of 2025, the Centre remained cautious. Its assessment was that President’s Rule had brought a “semblance of normalcy”, and an “unsteady government” might derail fragile peace efforts. Disarmament was incomplete, free movement across hills and valley was still contested, and talks with armed groups were ongoing.
Yet, parallel developments nudged the situation forward. Agreements with Kuki groups to enable freer movement and renewed Suspension of Operations arrangements and Modi’s September 2025 visit — his first since the violence began — were all projected as signs of a return to normalcy.
Politically, too, the BJP leadership began engaging more directly. Senior leaders held meetings in Imphal and Delhi with MLAs across community lines. The message gradually shifted from “not now” to “sooner or later”.
The Centre’s hands were also forced by a Constitutional obligation which requires the invoking of national emergency to extend President’s Rule beyond one year.
What is the road ahead?
The new government, however, will inherit extraordinary challenges. It will function in a state still socially divided, with displaced populations, restricted mobility in parts, incomplete disarmament, and competing narratives of victimhood.
With Assembly elections due in about a year, the new leadership’s primary task will be to rebuild public confidence — that elected representatives, not distant administrators, are steering recovery. This means visible steps on rehabilitation, reopening of routes, political dialogue across communities, and transparency in security measures.
Ultimately, the success of this government will not be judged merely by survival in the Assembly, but by whether ordinary people begin to feel that politics — not just policing — has returned to Manipur.
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