IMPHAL: After one year of president rule, Manipur is all set to restore a popular government. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yumnam Khemchand was chosen as Manipur’s next chief minister on Tuesday, following his election as the leader of the party’s legislative wing during a meeting at BJP headquarters in New Delhi. The BJP central leadership asked the BJP MLAs to reach Delhi on February 3. The people in the state demanded the restoration of a popular government to bring back normalcy and peace.
The development follows the resignation of former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on February 9 last year, amid prolonged ethnic violence that has gripped the state for nearly three years. On 13th February 2025, the central government imposed president rule in the state for six months, and later it was extended for another six months.
In the 60-member Manipur Assembly, the BJP commands 37 seats, bolstered by allies Naga People’s Front (5 MLAs) and Janata Dal (United) (1 MLA). The opposition controls 16 seats, including 6 from NPP, 5 from Congress, 3 independents, and 2 from Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA), which ended its support for Singh’s administration in August 2023.
A seasoned politician, Khemchand has represented the Singjamei constituency since winning assembly elections in 2017 and 2022. He served as Assembly Speaker from 2017 to 2022 and later joined Singh’s cabinet, overseeing municipal administration, housing and urban development (MAHUD), rural development, panchayati raj, and education.
Manipur went into trouble in May 2023 when ethnic clashes started in the state. Over 260 people lost their lives and 60,000 people were internally displaced during the prolonged period of violence in the state. Peace and normalcy have returned to the troubled state in the last year. No major incidents of violence were reported from Manipur since February 2025 as central security forces tightened vigilance. Hundreds of militants were arrested and numbers of militant bunkers were dismantled by security agencies to curb the violence.
Thousands of illegal and looted arms were recovered during the period. The home ministry is also having multiple levels of talks with militant organisations (both Kuki and Meitei) to support the peace process in Manipur.
With the restoration of popular government, lasting peace is expected to return to the state soon.
