(Each week, The Indian Specific’ Nationwide Politics Bureau investigates a political get together and its chief, tracks its developments and explains why it issues.)
On February 5, 2025, Manipur’s then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh left for Delhi in desperation, dealing with a firestorm within the wake of the ethnic battle between the Meitei and Kukizo tribes within the state that started in Might 2023. there was Insurrection grows inside state BJP unit opposed his management at the same time as a no-confidence movement in opposition to his authorities loomed.
Mr. Biren lowered his disappointing numbers because the BJP central management didn’t give him assembly time. He then went to Prayagraj and took a dip in Mahakumbh. 4 days later, the BJP management lastly granted him an viewers, however he was compelled to resign.
A 12 months later, with Bharatiya Janata Celebration guru Yumnam Khemchand Singh taking up as prime minister, issues appear to be getting even worse for Biren. The brand new CM comes only a 12 months earlier than the state meeting polls..
Nonetheless, the previous soccer participant doesn’t appear to have misplaced hope. The 65-year-old Meitei strongman is in marketing campaign mode after dropping his chair and even a key piece of his safety within the 12 months since he resigned and imposed presidential rule within the state.
“He (Biren) was disillusioned that he was compelled to resign, however he was not sitting idly by. He instantly went into marketing campaign mode,” mentioned a supply near the previous CM. “He began assembly with members of native golf equipment (which train nice affect amongst their respective communities) and civil society organizations throughout the Imphal Valley. He engaged extensively with folks from totally different sections of society within the Imphal Valley with an eye fixed on the 2027 Meeting polls.”
His actions within the Valley had been interspersed with public engagements reminiscent of a gathering with Governor Ajay Bhalla in Might 2025 and highlighting the issues of Meitei through the Gwaltabi incident the place protests erupted within the Valley over the elimination of the phrase ‘Manipur’ from Manipur State Transport buses sure for the hill areas, and he persistently continued to lift his issues reminiscent of poppy cultivation within the hill areas, identification of unlawful immigrants, and free motion regime.
Mr. Biren’s critics within the BJP say he has damage the Meitei trigger by explicitly hurting its prospects in an try to consolidate his place amongst his personal base. “Despite the fact that as CM he was accused by Kuki teams of being partisan, even after his resignation, his outreach to varied communities has been restricted to the folks of the valley. In distinction, Khemchand has distanced himself from the Kuki tribe and even visited an IDP (internally displaced individual) camp in Kuki in December. In such a various and contested state, there may be an pressing want for broader engagement,” the state Folks’s Celebration chief mentioned.
Biren was relieved of his publish and was additionally capable of give attention to his well being. “One of many first issues he did after resigning was to bear arm surgical procedure at a personal hospital in March 2025. He had been having issues along with his arm for the previous two years, however because of the scenario within the state, he couldn’t discover time to bear therapy. He additionally went to the health club after a protracted trip,” mentioned a supply near him.
Sources mentioned Biren continued to benefit from the confidence of Dwelling Minister Amit Shah all through this era. “Every time any drawback arises within the valley, the house minister calls Biren Singh and asks him to resolve the scenario. So, the previous CM was engaged in fire-fighting operations every time essential,” mentioned a state Folks’s Celebration chief.
An in depth aide to Mr. Biren mentioned his involvement within the Bharatiya Janata Celebration authorities was primarily to handle sentiment within the Valley. “Manipur is a fancy state. It has a inhabitants of 35 million folks and 35 communities, all of which need an unbiased state. So, steady engagement is required,” his aide mentioned.
He additionally confronted a rebellious state get together group fearful about being out of energy for a very long time. In June 2025, beneath stress from the BJP MLAs, he expressed their need to type a folks’s authorities within the state. “We hope that the get together central management is assessing the scenario on the bottom in Manipur. It has been greater than seven to eight months since communal clashes broke out. This means that peace is steadily returning and will pave the way in which for restoration of the elected authorities,” Singh mentioned at an occasion in Imphal, urging the get together excessive command to take a call on the problem. This was a month earlier than the president’s rule within the state was prolonged for one more six months.
“It was not his need that he had clearly said. The get together’s MLAs had been placing stress on him. There was a worry that the Parliament itself is perhaps dissolved. So the MLAs wished to take over energy as soon as once more,” mentioned a Bharatiya Janata Celebration chief.
Because the Bharatiya Janata Celebration excessive command set the ball rolling on forming a authorities in Manipur, simply earlier than the top of the one-year presidential rule that made re-establishing an elected authorities a constitutional mandate, Biren visited Delhi in October with 25 MLAs and camped right here for per week. After returning to Imphal, he instructed media individuals that authorities formation was one of many points he mentioned with the get together management.
It was in some ways a present of power and a tender sign that although he had no intention of turning into CM, forming the federal government within the 60-member Congress state wouldn’t be doable with out his cooperation. It’s discovered that he was finally requested by the BJP management to recommend two names for the publish of CM, and he participated.
However on February 3, when Bharatiya Janata Celebration MLAs from Manipur gathered on the get together’s nationwide headquarters in Delhi to elect a legislative chief, a few of them weren’t even ready to take a seat in the identical room. It was after the Shah’s intervention that Yumnam Khemchand Singh was chosen. Sources mentioned a deal may very well be reached over Khemchand’s identify after “sure political commitments” had been made to Biren, finally resulting in his identify being nominated as the brand new BJP chief.
Biren’s confidant Govindas Kontujam is at the moment the state’s residence minister, however his future seems to be fraught with uncertainty. A number of members of his camp are mentioned to be eager on turning into the brand new CM with a view to taking a cupboard seat.
“Mr Govindas himself has political ambitions. Nobody is aware of what course the political tide will take after he leaves the federal government,” mentioned a state Folks’s Celebration chief.
Mr. Biren might now solely hope that the “guarantees” made to him are stored and that his faction performs nicely within the 2027 meeting polls.
