Manipur’s Next CM? BJP Names Yumnam Khemchand Singh

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former state cabinet minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has been selected by the party as its nominee for the post of Chief Minister of Manipur, a state that has remained under President’s Rule for close to a year.

The leadership position has been vacant since the resignation of N Biren Singh on February 9, 2025, which came amid prolonged ethnic unrest and political instability in the state. President’s Rule was imposed shortly thereafter, suspending the functioning of the elected government.

The BJP announced Khemchand Singh’s name on Tuesday after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in Manipur. The decision was taken during a meeting of party legislators held in New Delhi.

With this development, Singh’s nomination will now be placed before legislators of other parties within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state. A separate meeting is expected to be convened to secure formal endorsement from all coalition partners, a procedural step required before he is named the leader of the NDA legislature party in the Manipur Assembly.

Political Profile

Yumnam Khemchand Singh is a two-term Member of the Legislative Assembly, having represented the Singjamei constituency in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections.

He rose to statewide prominence in March 2017, when he was elected Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly. Singh held the constitutional post for a full five-year term, earning recognition for steering the House through a complete legislative cycle.

Following the 2022 elections, Singh was inducted into the second cabinet led by N Biren Singh. During his tenure as a minister, he handled a range of key portfolios, including Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Municipal Administration, Housing Development, and Education.

He continued in office until the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur, after which the Council of Ministers stood dissolved.

If formally endorsed by the NDA and appointed, Khemchand Singh will take charge at a critical juncture, with the state seeking a return to political normalcy after months of administrative control by the Centre.

ALSO READ: Multiple Explosions Rock Manipur’s Bishnupur, Two Hurt