President’s rule revoked in Manipur ahead of NDA government formation

Guwahati, Feb 4: President’s rule in Manipur was revoked on Wednesday, just hours before the formation of a new state government led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with Y Khemchand Singh set to take oath as the Chief Minister.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 356 of the Constitution, I, Droupadi Murmu, hereby revoke the Proclamation issued under the said article on the 13th day of February, 2025, in relation to the State of Manipur, with effect from the 4th day of February, 2026,” a proclamation issued by the President said.

The revocation came ahead of Singh’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled for 6 pm at Lok Bhavan in Imphal. Senior BJP leader and former minister Nemcha Kipgen, a prominent Kuki leader, is set to be appointed the Deputy Chief Minister in the new government.

Manipur had been under President’s rule since February 13, 2025, with the 60-member Assembly placed under suspended animation despite its tenure running until 2027.

Central rule was imposed after the BJP-led government headed by N Biren Singh resigned on February 9 last year, following prolonged ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities.

Earlier on Wednesday, an NDA delegation led by Singh met Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the Governor of Manipur, at Lok Bhavan and formally staked claim to form a popular government.

Notably, the delegation included two MLAs from the Kuki-Zo majority districts of Churachandpur and Pherzawl, signalling broader participation in the new political arrangement.

The BJP legislature party in Manipur had elected the 62-year-old Singh as its leader at a meeting held at the party’s headquarters in Imphal on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by 35 of the BJP’s 37 MLAs, along with central observer Tarun Chugh, BJP’s Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra, and state BJP president A Sharda Devi. Party sources said the two MLAs absent from the meeting were unwell.

Subsequently, a joint meeting of NDA constituents was held at Manipur Bhavan, attended by BJP legislators along with MLAs from its allies- six from the National People’s Party (NPP), five from the Naga People’s Front (NPF), and three Independents. The meeting unanimously endorsed Singh as the leader of the NDA legislature party and Kipgen as the deputy leader.

PTI