Six Kuki MLAs join Manipur Assembly budget session virtually

Imphal: Six of the ten Kuki-Zo-Hmar MLAs on Monday attended the seventh Budget Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly through video conferencing.

Leader of the House and Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh described the participation of the tribal legislators as a “positive step” towards normalising the prevailing situation in the state.

“This is a good beginning and everyone should encourage it,” the Chief Minister told a government-run information centre. A television screen installed inside the Assembly chamber displayed the live attendance of the six MLAs participating virtually.

The Kuki-Zo-Hmar legislators who attended the first day of the session were Nemcha Kipgen, Deputy Chief Minister and MLA from 46-Saikul (ST); L.M. Khaute, MLA from 58-Churachandpur (ST); Letzamang Haokip, MLA from 57-Henglep (ST); Ngursanglur Sanate, MLA from 55-Tipaimukh (ST); Kimneo Haokip Hansing, MLA from 46-Saikul (ST); and Haokholet Kipgen, MLA from 51-Saitu (ST). Among them, L.M. Khaute participated in the debate during the obituary reference.

Earlier, the state government had made elaborate arrangements to enable the Kuki-Zo-Hmar MLAs to participate virtually in the Budget session. Facilities were set up at NIC centres in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur, as well as at Manipur Bhawans in Guwahati and New Delhi.

Speaker of the Assembly Thokchom Satyabrata Singh told the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Manipur, that the participation of the tribal MLAs was a “welcome step.”

He noted that during the trust vote for Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on February 5, three Kuki-Zo-Hmar MLAs—Nemcha Kipgen, L.M. Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate—had also joined proceedings via video conference.

The Speaker later informed the House that Letpao Haokip had sought leave of absence from the Budget session due to illness, which was unanimously approved by the House.

The seventh session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, which had been adjourned sine die on February 5, 2026, resumed in the Assembly Hall on Monday. The session began with obituary references delivered by the members.

It may be noted that ten Kuki-Zo-Hmar MLAs from Manipur, including seven belonging to the BJP, have skipped several Assembly sessions—including those held in August 2023, February–March 2024, and August 2024—citing security concerns and reiterating their demand for a separate administration.