The NDA staked a claim to form a government in Manipur on Wednesday, ending a year of President’s Rule in the restive state.
NDA legislature party leader Y Khemchand Singh, accompanied by BJP state chief A Sharda Devi and other leaders, met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Lok Bhavan to formally present the claim.
Two MLAs from the Kuki-Zo majority districts of Churachandpur and Pherzawl joined the delegation. Sharda Devi told reporters that the NDA submitted its proposal in the presence of BJP observer Tarun Chugh. Singh later confirmed on social media that he had staked the claim alongside BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh and Northeast Coordinator Sambit Patra.
The move came a day after the BJP legislature party elected Singh, a 62-year-old MLA from Singjamei, as its leader at a meeting in New Delhi. Thirty-five of the 37 BJP MLAs attended the meeting, along with central observers and state leaders.
Subsequently, NDA constituents, including six MLAs from the National People’s Party (NPP), five from the Naga People’s Front (NPF), and three Independents, endorsed Singh as leader and Nemcha Kipgen of the Kuki community as deputy leader.
Singh announced that the oath-taking ceremony would follow shortly. He pledged that peace and development would guide the new Council of Ministers. He also emphasised the NDA’s commitment to the vision of Viksit Bharat Viksit and Viksit Manipur, acknowledging the challenges ahead but expressing confidence in achieving ambitious goals.
Manipur has faced ethnic violence since May 2023, when a tribal solidarity march opposed the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The unrest has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced thousands, leading to the imposition of President’s Rule in February 2025.
