BJP ends Manipur suspense; Biren Singh will be CM again

Guwahati: After a week-long suspense, the BJP on Sunday unanimously elected caretaker chief minister N. Biren Singh as Manipur Chief Minister for second time, in presence of central party observers Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Kiren Rijiju.

About ten days after election results came, the BJP central observer Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday at Imphal announced that Biren Singh was chosen after he was unanimously elected as the chief minister at the BJP Legislative Party meeting held at state BJP headquarters in Imphal.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had contested the recently-concluded Manipur polls under the leadership of Biren Singh, but he was still fighting for the top post as Biswajit Singh, had emerged as challenger claiming his longer association with the BJP.

Biren Singh, who is a graduate from Manipur University, started his career as a footballer and was recruited in the Border Security Force (BSF), where he played for its team in domestic competitions. He also participated in the Durand Cup tournament.

Born on January 1, 1961 in Imphal, the Manipur Chief Minister later joined journalism in 1992 and started the vernacular daily Naharolgi Thoudang. He worked as the editor of the newspaper till 2001.

He entered politics in 2002 and joined the Democratic Revolutionary People’s Party. He contested Assembly elections and won from the Heingang seat. He was appointed Manipur’s minister of state of vigilance in 2003 and was given the additional portfolio of forest and environment minister.

He later joined the Indian National Congress and retained the seat in the 2007 Assembly elections. Singh was then made Manipur’s minister of irrigation and flood control and youth affairs & sports and consumer affairs & public distribution (CAF&PD).

The Manipur Chief Minister retained the constituency in the 2012 Assembly elections, for the third consecutive term. In September 2016, he resigned from the Manipur Legislative Assembly after revolting against Okram Ibobi Singh, the then chief minister of the state.

He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in October 2016. In 2017, he contested Assembly elections from the Heingang seat and won, retaining the seat for the fourth consecutive term. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Manipur on March 15, 2017, becoming the first-ever BJP leader to become chief minister in the state.

It is significant that the BJP has secured absolute majority in the state, with “unconditional” support from independent legislators and a few other MLAs, except five MLAs of the Congress party. Letters of support have already been given to Governor La Ganesan. The NPP with seven MLAs is also keen on supporting the BJP.