Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh: Yumnam Khemchand Singh will soon take oath as the new chief minister of Manipur after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) elected him as the leader of its legislative party on Tuesday. Singh is set to become the 56th chief minister of the northeastern state, almost a year after president’s rule was imposed due to internal conflicts. On Monday, the BJP started preparing to form the government in Manipur by appointing Tarun Chugh as the central observer to supervise the process.
Singh belongs to the Meitei community, and to keep a balance between the state’s two major communities, the party is likely to appoint Nemcha Kipgen, a woman leader from the Kuki community, as deputy chief minister. President’s rule was first imposed on February 13, 2025, after months of violent clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
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Who is Yumnam Khemchand Singh?
Yumnam Khemchand Singh is a BJP MLA from the Singjamei Assembly constituency. He has served as the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2022. Singh has also held important ministerial positions, including Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, and the Education Department.
He has been involved in promoting Taekwondo in northeast India and became the first Indian to receive the 5th Dan black belt in traditional Taekwondo in 2025. In 2022, he was appointed as a cabinet minister and managed portfolios like municipal administration, housing development, rural development, and panchayati raj.
BJP’s Position
The BJP currently has 37 MLAs in Manipur and is supported by allies such as the Naga People’s Front, which has 5 MLAs, and the JDU, which has 1 legislator. The opposition has 16 MLAs, including 6 from the National People’s Party, 5 from Congress, and 3 independents. Two MLAs from KPA withdrew their support from the NDA due to the ethnic violence.
The leadership change comes nearly a year after former chief minister N Biren Singh resigned on February 9, 2025, amid ongoing ethnic unrest in the state. President’s rule was first imposed in February 2025 for six months and then extended in August for another six months. The 60-member assembly, whose term runs until 2027, has been under suspended animation since then.
