Imphal (Manipur) [India], February 5 (HBTV): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Manipur Legislature Party leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state on Wednesday, with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla administering the oath of office at a ceremony held at the Lok Bhavan in Imphal.
Senior legislators Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho also took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers, joining the new Manipur cabinet following the formal withdrawal of President’s Rule.
BJP workers gathered at the party headquarters in Imphal to celebrate Singh’s appointment as the leader of the BJP legislative party and the Chief Minister of Manipur.
BJP Mahila Morcha president Loteeka Leima said the party was optimistic about restoring peace and accelerating development in the state. ‘This is a very happy and important day for us. There is an atmosphere of great joy in the party. We have a lot of work to do. We need to bring peace to Manipur and ensure development in every corner of the state,’ she said, adding that the democratic process, which had been temporarily halted due to law and order concerns, had now been restored.
BJP Kisan Morcha vice president Khawungsing Shimray thanked the Centre for its role during the period of President’s Rule. ‘We are thankful to the Centre for the initiative it has taken for the people of Manipur and the MLAs. We hope that the Centre and the state will work together to bring lasting peace to our land,’ he said.
Earlier, the BJP had elected Yumnam Khemchand Singh as its legislative party leader at a meeting held at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, days ahead of the end of President’s Rule in the northeastern state.
President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13 last year and was later extended by Parliament in August for another six months.
In December, the Union Home Ministry granted a further extension to the Commission of Inquiry probing the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023. The commission has been asked to submit its report as soon as possible, but no later than May 20, 2026.
(ANI)