President's Rule Revoked In Manipur, NDA Leaders Stake Claim

President's Rule has been removed from the border state Manipur nearly a year after it came into force. The move came hours ahead of the new Manipur government's oath ceremony scheduled this evening, when MLAs from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will formally join the refreshed team led by Chief Minister-designate Yumnam Khemchand Singh.

During the President's Rule, which came into effect after N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister in February 2025, Manipur's assembly had been in a state of suspended animation - inactive but not dissolved.

Khemchand is from the Meitei community. The two leaders who are set to be Deputy Chief Ministers, Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho, are from the Kuki and Naga tribes, respectively.

Nemcha Kipgen, the Deputy Chief Minister-designate, is likely to take oath from a Manipur government guesthouse in Delhi, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Seven-time MLA from Bishnupur district, Govindas Konthoujam, said he has been given charge of the Home portfolio. "... I am committed to serving Manipur with discipline, restraint, and dedication to stability and public order," he said.

Khemchand, 61, is considered a non-polarising figure, acceptable across internal party factions during a period of political transition, sources said. While yet to be tested in the field, he is seen as a steady administrative choice during times of political uncertainty; he may be able to bring together organisation, discipline, and low-key authority, rather than mass rhetoric, they said.

Uneasy Peace

There is uneasy peace in Manipur nearly three years after hostilities broke out between the Meitei community, dominant in central Manipur's valley areas, and the Kuki tribes, who are dominant in some districts categorised as hill areas.

A section of the Kuki tribes wants to break away from the state and form a separate administration for their own community, with negotiations being handled by two dozen insurgent groups under two umbrella organisations that signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement.

While government formation talks were going on in recent weeks, some Kuki civil society organisations in statements announced they would not be part of any government in Manipur. They also distanced themselves from Kuki MLAs who were expected to be part of the government.

Kuki leader Paolienlal Haokip, one of the fiercest critics of the former chief minister, a day before the announcement of the new government formation, had posted on X, "Without justice for the ethnic cleansing of our people, and sans a written commitment for political settlement, representatives of Kuki Zo people cannot be party to election of Legislative Party Leader in Manipur."

Meitei civil society organisations say all internally displaced people should be made to return safely, while talks can go on. But Kuki leaders have demanded a political solution in the form of a separate administration before any other issues, including the return of thousands of people living in relief camps, can be discussed.

Meitei leaders have cited this condition to allege that Kuki leaders are engineering an ethnocentric homeland demand; the Meiteis' argument is that talks can go on while at the same time people living in difficult conditions in the camps can also return home since no territory is ethnic exclusive.