Manipur Legislative Assembly
Imphal/New Delhi: As the six-month interval between two Assembly sessions came to an end today, the Opposition Congress Party in Manipur announced its intention to approach the court to seek the imposition of President’s Rule in the conflict-affected state, given the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s indecision regarding the next Chief Minister.
“We are consulting legal experts on the entire issue and may move the court as per their suggestions,” Keisham Meghachandra Singh, president of the Manipur unit of Congress told reporters in Imphal.
The Congress has only five MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly and has been in the opposition since 2017. The BJP has 32 MLAs including 7 from Kuki-Jo community.
However, the Congress was earlier against the imposition of the President’s rule, underscoring the necessity of preserving a democratically elected government to uphold the tenets of democracy.
According to constitutional guidelines, the Governor must recommend the President’s Rule to the Centre if the state does not convene an Assembly session within six months. Article 174(1) of the Constitution mandates that State Assemblies must meet no later than six months after their last session. For Manipur, the last session was on August 12, 2024, making today, February 12, 2025, the deadline for reconvening.
Interestingly, BJP legislator Karam Shyam stated today that “there is no Constitutional crisis in Manipur,” according to a news agency. However, credible sources within the party indicated that if the political deadlock persists, the State Assembly might remain in suspended animation for three months under the President’s Rule.
Following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on February 9, 2025, amid rising ethnic violence, Manipur is facing considerable political instability. The internal conflicts within the ruling BJP have created a leadership void. Singh’s resignation came under intense pressure from both opposition parties and factions within his own party, compounded by the withdrawal of the regional National People’s Party, a crucial ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government in the state.
Manipur has been experiencing ethnic conflicts between the Meiteis and Kukis since 2023. The state government, led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, has faced considerable backlash regarding its response to the crisis. Critics have accused the administration of favouritism and failing to control the violence, claims that Singh has repeatedly rejected.
In the wake of Biren’s resignation, the ruling BJP is actively considering who will lead the state moving forward. Sambit Patra, as the party’s in-charge in Manipur, has been engaged in intense discussions with party legislators late into the night. He also met with Manipur Governor Ajay Bhalla today, but there was no progress regarding the selection of a new Chief Minister. Just yesterday, Patra, along with BJP state president A Sharda Devi, state Education Minister Thokchom Basanta Kumar Singh, and leaders from the National Democratic Alliance, including Naga People Front’s Manipur unit president Awangbou Newmai and Janata Dal (United) legislator Nasir, convened to address the ongoing situation.
Governor Bhalla had previously cancelled the Budget Session of the Manipur Assembly that was set to commence on February 10, following the Chief Minister’s resignation the day before.
Sources within the BJP have indicated that potential candidates to replace Biren Singh are finding it challenging to secure support from legislators who are aligned with the outgoing Chief Minister. Among those being considered as possible successors are Yumnam Khemchand Singh, the current Minister for Municipal Administration, Housing Development, and Education; the current Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh; state Education Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh; and Govindas Konthoujam, who serves as Manipur’s Minister for Public Works Department and Youth Affairs & Sports.
The current political landscape reveals that several leaders are perceived as opposing N. Biren Singh, and the BJP’s central leadership is keen to avoid escalating the internal conflicts within the party. They are in search of a chief ministerial candidate who can gain acceptance from both N. Biren Singh and his supporters. Sources indicate that Kh Jibon Singh, a national secretary of BJP’s Kisan Morcha, who is believed to have the backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and is also seen as a viable option for the Biren faction because of his neutral image within the party, might emerge unexpectedly as a candidate. However, the delay in selecting a candidate is complicating the situation further.
Under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution, the President’s Rule can be imposed if a state’s constitutional framework is considered to have collapsed, allowing the central government to take over the state’s administration. Manipur has experienced President’s Rule multiple times, with the last occurrence in 2001, lasting for 277 days.
Currently, the BJP, which holds power at the national and state levels, is in a challenging position. Its attempts to address the crisis internally, rather than resorting to the President’s Rule, have not yet yielded positive results.
Since May 2023, the state has been embroiled in severe ethnic violence, resulting in over 250 fatalities and displacing around 60,000 individuals. The ongoing tensions stem from clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, a former journalist and a Congressman who thereafter joined the BJP, belongs to the Meitei community. He has faced accusations from Kuki-Zo groups of bias and complicity in the violence against them. In December 2024, Biren publicly expressed regret for the ethnic turmoil and acknowledged the state’s failure to avert the violence. But that failed to assuage the feelings of the Kuki-Zo community which continued to call for his resignation, alleging that he was manipulating the crisis.
– global bihari bureau
