Imphal, March 4 (NationPress) One month post the swearing-in event, the Chief Minister of Manipur, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, on Wednesday distributed portfolios to the two Deputy Chief Ministers and two Cabinet Ministers, maintaining control over most essential departments, as confirmed by officials. Nonetheless, seven ministerial positions remain unfilled.

The Chief Secretary, Puneet Kumar Goel, issued a notification stating that following the Chief Minister's counsel, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla designated the portfolios to the Ministers.

As per the notification, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department and the Tribal Affairs and Hills Department have been assigned to Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen.

The Public Health Engineering Department along with the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Departments have been allocated to the other Deputy Chief Minister, Losii Dikho.

The Home Department and the Youth Affairs and Sports Departments have been given to Konthoujam Govindas Singh, while the Arts and Culture and Tourism Departments have been assigned to Khuraijam Loken Singh.

Chief Minister Singh, Nemcha Kipgen, and Konthoujam Govindas Singh are affiliated with the BJP, while Losii Dikho and Khuraijam Loken Singh represent the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the National People’s Party (NPP), respectively.

The NPF is under the leadership of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, whereas the NPP is headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.

A post on the official X handle of the Manipur government remarked: “This allocation signifies a crucial step towards enhancing governance and ensuring targeted leadership across vital departments.”

Chief Minister Khemchand Singh, alongside the two Deputy Chief Ministers and two Cabinet Ministers, took their oaths on February 4 following the lifting of President’s Rule in the state.

However, seven ministerial positions are still unoccupied.

The sole female Minister and BJP MLA Nemcha Kipgen, representing the Kuki community, took her oath virtually from Manipur Bhavan in New Delhi for security reasons.

A senior BJP figure indicated that the Council of Ministers will undergo an expansion “definitely” after the Budget session of the Manipur Assembly, anticipated to convene following the Holi festival.

A brief session of the state Assembly occurred on February 5, during which Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla addressed the assembly.

Previously, Chief Minister Khemchand Singh emphasized that restoring peace and normalcy in the violence-affected state is a shared duty of all stakeholders, including elected officials.

The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which was under suspended animation during President’s Rule, holds a tenure until 2027. The state had been under President’s Rule since February 13, 2025, a few days after former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned amid ongoing ethnic unrest.

On February 22, Chief Minister Khemchand Singh, along with the two Deputy Chief Ministers, conferred with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss various matters, including the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) impacted by ethnic conflicts.

Officials from the Chief Minister’s Office reported that the Union Home Minister reviewed the initiatives of the new state government aimed at dismantling barriers between communities and reinstating peace and harmony in the region.

During his visit to New Delhi, the Chief Minister also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

The Chief Minister, alongside the two Deputy Chief Ministers, also met with BJP President Nitin Nabin and the party’s National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh to discuss various organizational issues.