Manipur’s former Speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh has been chosen as the next Chief Minister of the state. The BJP legislature party made this announcement after a meeting in New Delhi. Khemchand Singh, a member of the majority Meitei community, will take over as Chief Minister of Manipur, which has been under President’s Rule since February 13 last year.
In a significant move, the 61-year-old BJP leader recently visited the tribal-majority hill districts of Ukhrul and Kamjong. This visit marked the first outreach by any Meitei leader to these areas since ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May 2023. Khemchand Singh, a former Rural Development Minister, was elected to the Manipur Assembly from the Singjamei constituency as a BJP candidate in both the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections.
The BJP initiated the process to elect a new Chief Minister in Manipur after hectic discussions. The party’s Parliamentary Board appointed national General Secretary Tarun Chugh as the Central Observer for the election of the Legislative Party Leader in the state. Following the central BJP leadership’s directions, many MLAs from the BJP and its supporting parties gathered in New Delhi earlier this week.
