New Delhi/Imphal, Feb 3 (NationPress) Concluding a period of prolonged speculation and discussions surrounding the formation of a government in Manipur, the BJP has revealed that the former Assembly Speaker, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, will become the next Chief Minister of the state.

Following a meeting held in New Delhi, the BJP legislature party declared that Khemchand Singh has been chosen as the party's Legislature Party Leader and will assume the role of Chief Minister in Manipur, which has been under President's Rule since February 13 of the previous year, after former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned due to ongoing ethnic discord.

Insiders indicated that Khemchand Singh was appointed as the Legislature Party Leader during a gathering in New Delhi, attended by BJP MLAs from Manipur, the party's newly designated Central Observer Tarun Chugh, and other senior officials including Sambit Patra, the BJP's Northeast coordinator.

Patra shared on X, stating: "Today, a meeting of the BJP Manipur Legislative Party took place at the BJP Headquarters in New Delhi with the esteemed National General Secretary Shri Tarun Chugh ji overseeing the proceedings, alongside the honorable State President Smt A Sharda Devi ji. I extend warm congratulations to Shri Y Khemchand Singh ji for being unanimously chosen as the Leader of the BJP Legislative Party by all BJP MLAs of Manipur."

As per sources, a meeting of legislators from all factions of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was set to convene on Tuesday night or Wednesday to officially endorse Khemchand Singh's nomination as the NDA Legislature Party Leader. The National People's Party (NPP), led by Conrad K Sangma, and the Naga People's Front (NPF) are supporting the BJP in Manipur as part of the NDA coalition.

A member of the majority Meitei community, Khemchand Singh has previously served as the Rural Development Minister and has been elected twice to the Manipur Assembly from the Singjamei constituency in the Imphal West district as a BJP candidate during the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections.

In a significant move since the ethnic unrest erupted in Manipur in May 2023, the 61-year-old BJP leader recently visited the tribal-majority hill districts of Ukhrul and Kamjong, marking the first outreach by any Meitei leader to these regions since the conflict started.

After intense discussions, the BJP initiated the process to elect a new Chief Minister in Manipur on Monday, appointing national General Secretary Chugh as the Central Observer for the election of the Legislative Party Leader in the state.

Under the central BJP leadership's directives, numerous MLAs from the BJP and its supporting factions traveled to New Delhi earlier this week. Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, Khemchand Singh, and state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi accompanied the party's MLAs to the national capital.

Sharda Devi had expressed to the media prior to their departure for New Delhi, "We anticipate that discussions regarding government formation will take place."

The Union government implemented President's Rule in Manipur on February 13 of the last year, just four days following Biren Singh's resignation as Chief Minister, with the rule scheduled to conclude on February 12 of this year.

The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which is set to operate until 2027, remains in a state of suspended animation. Following the imposition of President's Rule, senior BJP officials, including national General Secretary, Organisation B.L. Santhosh and the party's Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra, engaged in a series of discussions with Manipur MLAs in both New Delhi and Imphal.

The BJP holds 37 seats in the Manipur Assembly, while its NDA partners, the NPP and NPF, possess six and five seats, respectively. Additionally, three Independent MLAs are also backing the BJP-led NDA.

On December 14 of last year, the Manipur BJP Legislature Party convened a meeting at the party headquarters in New Delhi to deliberate on the peace process and other critical matters concerning the violence-affected state. This gathering included over 34 BJP MLAs, alongside Biren Singh, Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, along with Santhosh, Patra, and Sharda Devi.