GUWAHATI/IMPHAL: Yumnam Khemchand Singh was sworn in as Manipur’s new chief minister on Wednesday, marking the restoration of the NDA govt in the state as the Centre revoked the nearly year-long President’s Rule imposed in the wake of the Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict.BJP’s Kuki legislator Nemcha Kipgen and Naga MLA Losii Dikho of ally Naga People’s Front were inducted as deputy chief ministers. Senior BJP legislator Konthoujam Govindas and Khuraijam Loken Singh of NPP were sworn in as cabinet ministers at Lok Bhavan in Imphal.
Governor AK Bhalla administered the oath of office and secrecy to all four leaders, with Kipgen taking her oath virtually from Manipur Bhawan in New Delhi.The event marked the fragile state’s return to representative governance with a new power equation — a deliberate attempt to give representation to Manipur’s three major communities, Meitei, Kuki and Naga, in a balancing act aimed at rebuilding the fractured ethnic landscape.It comes after two years of ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis that claimed over 260 lives and displaced thousands, leaving the Assembly under suspended animation since February 2025.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while congratulating the new CM and other newly inducted ministers, wrote on X: “I’m confident they will work diligently towards furthering development and prosperity for my sisters and brothers of Manipur.”In his first reaction after being sworn in, Khemchand said he wanted to fulfil the faith reposed in him by Prime Minister Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. Speaking to the media outside Lok Bhavan soon after taking oath, Singh underlined the diversity of the state.“Manipur comprises 36 communities and the state was taken care of for long by these communities. Our hope now is for all to help in bringing a peaceful atmosphere,” he said. “Modi and Shah have placed great faith in me and I want to take that faith forward,” he added.Deputy CM Dikho echoed the sentiment of reconciliation. “We hope to fulfill the aspirations of the people of the state. Our first task is to reach out to them. Inclusiveness is the new mantra of the govt,” he said.Asked whether action would be taken against armed groups that have issued threats to Kuki legislators participating in govt formation, Dikho replied, “Why not.”Khemchand was felicitated at the party office Thambal Sanglen in Imphal. Speaking on the occasion, Khemchand said he and his cabinet will prioritise activities to ensure the return of peace and normalcy in the state.Appealing for peace and harmony, he said 36 communities are living together in Manipur and we should not forget that these 36 communities have been guarding the state together for many years.But Kuki civil society, led by the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), has taken a hard line against its 10 MLAs joining any new govt, warning that if they defy the collective decision, they would be doing so “at their own risk.”Khemchand was elected leader of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday after the party’s central leaders held a meeting in Delhi with NDA MLAs from Manipur.Notably, among other MLAs, including those of the opposition Congress, two Kuki-Zo MLAs LM Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate attended the swearing-in ceremony. This was the first time in more than two years that Kuki-Zo MLAs set foot in Imphal after clashes erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023.Four political parties — the NPP with six MLAs, NPF with five MLAs, JD(U) with one MLA and two independents — have extended unconditional support to BJP, a Lok Bhavan statement said.Earlier in the afternoon, Khemchand, accompanied by party leaders including central observer Tarun Chugh, BJP state unit president A. Sharda Devi, BJP northeast coordinator Sambit Patra, former CM N. Biren Singh, and five other MLAs from alliance partners, called on overnor Bhalla and staked claim to form the government.Just after the swearing-in ceremony, Khemchand chaired a cabinet meeting at the CM’s bunglow in the evening. An ofgficial statement said, “The meeting marked the beginning of collective decision-making and governance for the newly constituted state cabinet.”Sources said the assembly session is expected to be held from Friday.
