Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 62-year-old legislator at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan.
Imphal: BJP leader Y Khemchand Singh was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Manipur on Wednesday, hours after President’s rule in the state was lifted. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 62-year-old legislator at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan.
Alongside Singh, BJP MLA Nemcha Kipgen, representing the Kuki community, and Naga People’s Front legislator L Dikho took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. Kipgen participated virtually from Manipur Bhavan in New Delhi. BJP’s Govindas Konthoujam and National People’s Party (NPP) leader K Loken Singh were also sworn in as ministers.
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The swearing-in ceremony was attended by BJP legislators, senior party functionaries and leaders of the NDA in Manipur. The development follows Tuesday’s meeting of the BJP legislature party in New Delhi, where Singh was unanimously elected leader. The meeting was attended by 35 of the 37 BJP MLAs, along with central observer Tarun Chugh, northeast in-charge Sambit Patra and state president A Sharda Devi. Later, NDA allies including six NPP MLAs, five from the NPF and three Independents joined BJP legislators at Manipur Bhavan in the capital.
RSS veteran, former Speaker and Cabinet Minister
Singh, a long-time RSS functionary, has held key constitutional and ministerial roles in the state. He entered the Assembly in 2017 from Singjamei constituency in Imphal West, later serving as Speaker during the first Biren Singh-led BJP government. In 2022, he was inducted into the Cabinet, holding portfolios including municipal administration, housing and urban development, rural development and panchayati raj, and education, until President’s rule was imposed last year.
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Beyond politics, Singh is a black belt in Taekwondo and a former vice-president of the Taekwondo Federation of India, with a long record of promoting the sport in the Northeast. He first contested elections in 2012 on an All India Trinamool Congress ticket, before formally joining the BJP in 2013.
Leadership change follows N Biren Singh’s resignation amid ethnic violence
Manipur had been under President’s rule since February 2025, imposed days after former Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned amid criticism of his handling of ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The unrest, which began on May 3, 2023 following a tribal solidarity march opposing the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status, has claimed at least 260 lives, including members of both communities and security personnel, and displaced thousands.
PTI
Published: 04 Feb 2026, 07:15 pm IST
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