With no consensus on a successor for N Biren Singh even three days after his resignation as Manipur’s Chief Minister, the state has been placed under President’s Rule. The decision comes amid the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities that has claimed over 200 lives since May 2023.
In an official notification, President Droupadi Murmu stated that based on a report from the Governor and after careful consideration, she was satisfied that the state government could not function in accordance with the Constitution. Under Article 356, she has assumed all functions of the state government and declared that the powers of the Manipur Legislative Assembly shall be exercised by Parliament.
The move also comes as February 12 marked the deadline for convening the Manipur Assembly, as per Article 174(1) of the Constitution, which mandates that a session must be held within six months of its last sitting. The Manipur Assembly last convened on August 12, 2024. However, Governor Ajay Bhalla canceled the scheduled Budget session following Singh’s resignation.
The BJP, which led the state government before Singh’s exit, has so far failed to build a consensus on a successor. The National People’s Party (NPP), led by Conrad Sangma, had already withdrawn its support from the BJP-led government in November 2024, further weakening the ruling coalition. Amid the political uncertainty, opposition parties, including the Congress, and various civil society groups demanded the imposition of President’s Rule in the state.
Singh stepped down on February 9, just a day before his government was scheduled to face a no-confidence motion and a crucial floor test, preempting a political showdown. His resignation came amidst mounting pressure from the opposition and growing criticism of his handling of the ethnic conflict.
Congress has criticized the BJP, alleging that Singh’s resignation was aimed at saving the party rather than addressing Manipur’s crisis. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi called the move “long overdue,” while Gaurav Gogoi, Congress’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, accused the BJP of lacking a roadmap to restore peace in Manipur.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is examining leaked audio clips allegedly implicating Singh in the ethnic violence. Reports suggest that the tapes include conversations where Singh allegedly indicated that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition from the state government during clashes with Kuki groups. Rahul Gandhi cited the Supreme Court’s investigation as one of the key reasons behind Singh’s exit, stating, “Mounting public pressure, the SC probe, and Congress’s no-confidence motion forced a reckoning.”
With no immediate resolution to the leadership crisis, Manipur now enters President’s Rule, awaiting further political developments in the coming weeks.
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