GUWAHATI: A high-level meeting is set to take place in New Delhi to select the next chief minister of Manipur in the wake of resignation of N Biren Singh from the post on February 9. With the assembly session deadline fast approaching, the BJP faces mounting pressure to appoint a new chief minister by February 12. Failure to do so will result in the automatic dissolution of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, as per regulations. Subsequently, if the session is not convened in time, the dissolution could pave the way for the imposition of the President’s Rule in the state.
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The last assembly session was adjourned on August 12, 2024, and the next session is supposed to be held within six months, making the next 48 hours critical for the BJP to finalise its leadership choice. The assembly session was scheduled to start on February 10, but the Governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, called it off hours after the chief minister and his council of ministers resigned.
According to reports, all BJP MLAs and their allies will attend the meeting, which will be held in the presence of senior BJP leadership to finalise the decision. Additionally, 10 Kuki MLAs have also been summoned to Delhi by the party’s high command.
According to reports, the candidature for the chief minister’s post includes Thongam Biswajit Singh, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, and Govindas Konthoujam.
Singh tendered his resignation to the Governor, nearly two years after violence erupted in the state and a day ahead of the scheduled start of the assembly session. He was accompanied by several of his ministerial colleagues and BJP's Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra among others. The Opposition Congress had planned to move a no-confidence motion during this assembly session, and there was speculation that some BJP MLAs would have supported it.
In his resignation letter, Singh expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve Manipur and acknowledged the Central government’s interventions and developmental efforts.