BJP summons Biren Singh, Manipur party chief to Delhi

Imphal: In a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leadership has summoned former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and state BJP president Adhikarimayum Sarda Devi to New Delhi amid renewed discussions on forming a popular government in the state, which remains under President’s Rule.

Both leaders left Imphal for the national capital on Friday noon. Party sources said the meeting with the central leadership is likely to be held on January 17 and will focus on the possibility of installing an elected government in Manipur.

The state has been under President’s Rule since February 13, 2025, with the Manipur Legislative Assembly kept under animated suspension following the resignation of N Biren Singh on February 9, 2025.

With the President’s Rule period nearing its one-year mark on February 14, political activity has intensified. Sources indicated that a popular government could be installed before that deadline. Biren Singh continues to be seen as one of the strongest contenders for the chief minister’s post.

However, the party remains divided into two broad camps—one backing Singh’s return and another supporting Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a function in Imphal on Thursday, Thokchom Satyabrata Singh said the decision on the next chief minister rests entirely with the BJP’s central leadership.

The BJP currently enjoys a comfortable majority in the 59-member Manipur Legislative Assembly, with 37 MLAs. One seat remains vacant. Of the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs in the House, seven belong to the BJP.

Meanwhile, the political situation continues to be complicated by the ongoing demands of Kuki-Zo groups, who are pressing for the creation of a Union Territory with a legislature.

The ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities, which erupted on May 3, 2023, has so far claimed over 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people.