After Months of Turmoil, President’s Rule Lifted in Manipur

Nearly a year after President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur, the Union government formally withdrew it on Wednesday, paving the way for the return of an elected government in the violence-hit state.

The decision was confirmed through a proclamation issued by President Droupadi Murmu, revoking the February 13, 2025 order under Article 356 of the Constitution. The revocation takes effect from February 4, 2026.

The move follows the announcement of senior BJP leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh as the new chief minister of Manipur. The 62-year-old Meitei legislator was chosen as the BJP legislature party leader on Tuesday and is scheduled to be sworn in at 6 pm on Wednesday at the Lok Bhavan.

Khemchand Singh, who has previously held key roles in the state, was Speaker of the Manipur Assembly between 2017 and 2022 during the BJP’s first term in office. In the party’s second term under N Biren Singh, he served as a cabinet minister handling portfolios including municipal administration and housing development, rural development and panchayati raj, and education. He is known to belong to a faction within the party that had opposed Biren Singh’s leadership.

Manipur has remained deeply unsettled since ethnic violence broke out in May 2023, splitting the state sharply along communal lines. While Meitei communities have largely remained concentrated in the Imphal valley, Kuki-Zo groups have retreated to the hill districts. The prolonged unrest has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced over 50,000 people, leaving the state in a fragile and polarised condition.

N Biren Singh stepped down as chief minister in February 2025 amid mounting criticism over his government’s handling of the ethnic conflict. Soon after his resignation, President’s Rule was imposed, and the administration was placed under Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a former Union Home Secretary known for his experience in crisis management. Bhalla, a 1984-batch IAS officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was appointed Governor in December last year.

Despite the prolonged turmoil, the BJP continues to command a majority in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, which currently has 59 members following the death of National People’s Party legislator N Kayisii in January last year. The BJP holds 32 seats, including seven MLAs from the Kuki-Zo community. Its effective strength rose to 37 after five Janata Dal (United) legislators joined the party following the 2022 Assembly elections.

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