New Manipur CM | Yumnam Khemchand Set To Be Manipur Chief Minister After President's Rule Ends

Manipur MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh has been elected Leader of the BJP Legislature Party, paving the way for the formation of a government headed by him in the border state where the President's Rule will complete a year on February 13. The announcement came after the BJP leadership met the party's MLAs from Manipur and leaders of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Delhi. The BJP's central observer for Manipur, Tarun Chugh, and its northeast in-charge, Sambit Patra, attended the meeting. Khemchand, 61, is considered a non-polarising figure, acceptable across internal party factions during a period of political transition, sources said. Khemchand is seen as a steady administrative choice amid political uncertainty in Manipur; he may be able to bring together organisation, discipline, and low-key authority, rather than mass rhetoric. Manipur's assembly has been in a state of suspended animation - inactive but not dissolved - after President's Rule came in February 2025.