IMPHAL: BJP MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh is set to be sworn in as the chief minister of Manipur at 6 pm on Wednesday, hours after the NDA staked a claim to form the government in the violence-hit state.
Khemchand, who belongs to the Meitei community, will take oath after the President’s rule in Manipur was revoked earlier in the day, ahead of the formation of the new government.
Singh will be supported by two Deputy Chief Ministers - one from the Kuki-Zo community and another from the Naga community - to ensure broader representation. Nemcha Kipgen from the Kuki-Zo community and Losii Dikho, a Naga, have been named the Deputy CMs.
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, which now paves the way for the formation of a new elected government in the violence-hit northeastern state.
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.
Earlier in the day, NDA legislature party leader Y Khemchand Singh 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, "The oath-taking ceremony will follow shortly. 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.
(With inputs from Express News Service, PTI)
