President's Rule Ends in Manipur, Yumnam Khemchand Singh to be Sworn in as CM

"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," a Union Home Ministry notification said.

Manipur had been under President's Rule since February 13 last year, four days after then-Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned amid prolonged ethnic violence.

Biren Singh had stepped down on February 9 following sustained unrest between the non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities. More than 260 people were killed, around 1,500 injured, and over 70,000 displaced after ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023, following a 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which was kept under suspended animation after the imposition of President's Rule, has a tenure until 2027.

Senior BJP leader Khemchand Singh will take oath as the new Chief Minister at the Lok Bhavan here at 6 p.m.

A senior Manipur government official said that a few ministers, including one or two Deputy Chief Ministers, are also likely to be sworn in along with the new Chief Minister.

"Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla will administer the oath at the Lok Bhavan," the official told IANS.

Manipur state BJP, in a post on X, said: "The swearing-in ceremony of Shri Y Khemchand Singh as the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Manipur will take place today, 4th February 2026, at 6:00 PM at Lok Bhavan."

"Under his experienced and visionary leadership, Manipur is set to move forward on the path of peace, development, and good governance, ushering in a new era of stability and progress for the state," the BJP said.

Earlier, Khemchand Singh, accompanied by the newly appointed Central observer Tarun Chugh, BJP's Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra, former Chief Minister Biren Singh, state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi and a few MLAs, met the Governor at the Lok Bhavan and staked a claim to form the government. The Governor then invited him to form the government, the official added.

There is speculation that the new BJP government may have one or two Deputy Chief Ministers and that two MLAs from the Kuki-Zo community are likely to be included, too.

Party leaders and a large number of MLAs greeted Khemchand Singh after he arrived at Imphal airport on Wednesday morning from New Delhi.

Ending months of uncertainty and prolonged parleys over government formation in Manipur, the BJP on Tuesday announced that former Assembly Speaker and minister Khemchand Singh will be the state's next Chief Minister.

BJP leaders said that Khemchand Singh was elected as the Legislature Party Leader at a meeting held in the national capital and attended by BJP MLAs from Manipur, along with Central Observer Chugh and Patra, among other senior leaders.

In the meeting at the BJP party headquarters in Delhi, Khemchand Singh's name was proposed as the Legislature Party leader by former Chief Minister Biren Singh.

The BJP has 37 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, while its NDA allies -- the National People's Party (NPP) and the Naga People's Front (NPF) -- have six and five MLAs respectively. Three Independent MLAs are also supporting the BJP-led NDA.

- IANS