Manipur: BJP races against time to pick new CM for trouble-torn state

This development has come even as the party’s central leadership is all set to meet Kuki-Zo legislators in New Delhi later this week.

Kuki-Zo groups and 10 MLAs from the community, which include seven BJP MLAs, have held former chief minister N Biren Singh, who finally resigned on Sunday (February 9) responsible for the ethnic conflict in the state, which began on May 3, 2023. And, they have accused him of handling the internal ethnic strife in Manipur, which has claimed 250 lives, in a partisan way.

Watch | Discussion: Will Centre impose President's rule in Manipur?

Who will be new CM?

According to reports, the challenge before the BJP leadership is to find a leader who can tackle the ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki communities and also bring together a fractured party unit in the conflict-ridden state. A Kuki legislator confirmed that there will be a meeting with the BJP leadership but it may be delayed “by a couple of days due to logistical reasons”, said a report.

Meanwhile, BJP’s North East in-charge Sambit Patra met speaker T Satyabrata Singh, education minister Y Khemchand, Th Biswajit, former minister Th Radheshyam, and minister Awangboi Newmai at an Imphal hotel. Most of them are considered front-runners as Singh’s replacement.

Some news reports suggested that Kukis were not averse to the education minister Khemchand. The BJP has to choose a successor acceptable to both ethnic communities and rival party factions has to be chosen.

President's rule

These developments are taking place amid the backdrop of the possibility of Manipur being placed under President’s rule.

This may happen if a consensus is not reached before the constitutional deadline for convening the assembly on February 12, said reports. This timeline makes it imperative that the BJP leadership take a call quickly on who will replace Biren Singh as CM. A failure to form a stable government can trigger President’s Rule.

Unhappy BJP legislators

Singh’s resignation finally came after there were threats of a no confidence motion to be passed against him. Reports said that 10 BJP legislators were prepared to sit with the Opposition and oppose his leadership in the assembly session, which was postponed. The seventh assembly session was initially scheduled to begin on Monday.

Meanwhile, Khemchand told reporters that he will accept the chief ministership if the high command “projects” him. He added that they were ready to accept the decisions taken by the party’s high command since the aim is to restore normalcy in the state.

However, sources in the BJP have said that it is not going to be easy for the MLAs, who are being considered for the CM’s post, to get support of all the party MLAs. Biren Singh still has the loyalty of almost two dozen MLAs, who have always opposed leaders like Khemchand, Biswajit and Satyabrata Singh.

Also watch | With Biren out, is Manipur headed for President’s Rule? And peace?

Security measures strengthened

Meanwhile, security measures have been strengthened across Imphal since Sunday evening in fear of potential unrest amid the political uncertainty.

Since violence erupted in May 2023, Manipur has been split into two isolated regions along ethnic lines, the Imphal valley dominated by the Meitei community and the surrounding hill districts where Kuki-Zo tribes predominate.

Over the past 21 months, the bloody ethnic conflict in the state has claimed 250 lives and led to 60,000 people to shift from their homes into makeshift camps. For the past three years, these displaced families have been living as refugees in their own state.