Yumnam Khemchand Singh | Crisis-time CM

On February 4, 62-year-old Yumnam Khemchand Singh, who studied up to Class

Mr. Singh, a two-time MLA from Singjamei constituency and former Speaker, was chosen by the central BJP leadership to lead the State a few days before the one-year tenure of the President’s rule, which ends on February 13.

Any extension of President’s Rule beyond this would require the Union government to bring a constitutional amendment bill to Parliament; This would not be preferable to the central leadership as it would leave the ground open for the Opposition to criticize the government.

Mr. Singh’s tendency to agree with the Center has helped his cause, as he is said to have the support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Although the House Portfolio is with Cabinet Minister Govindas Konthoujam, by electing Mr Singh, the BJP also wants to ensure that the gains made on the law and order front in the last one year – absence of major violence, arrest of hundreds of extortionists and underworld personnel – are not reversed.

Mr Singh was teaching taekwondo, the Korean martial art, to children before winning the Singjamei seat on a BJP ticket in 2017. But this was not his first foray into electoral politics. In 2012, he contested the Assembly elections on a Trinamool Congress ticket and lost by 157 votes against Congress candidate Hemochandra Singh.

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His clean image when it came to legal matters was also a factor. Singjamei’s affidavit filed during the 2022 Assembly elections shows that he has no past or pending criminal cases against him.

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The Center is certain to continue to have the upper hand on critical issues of governance, law and order through Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. This was also reflected in the way Mr Singh was selected. All the BJP legislators, including Mr. Singh, were summoned to Delhi, where the resolution was sealed and announced to the waiting MLAs. Interestingly, former CM N. Biren Singh, whose resignation on February 9 triggered a political crisis in the State and led to the imposition of President’s Rule, was the one who suggested his name for the Chief Minister’s post.

In fact, the new Prime Minister had vocally criticized Biren Singh and called for his resignation in one of the meetings held at his residence in 2024. He arrived in Delhi on February 3, 2025, days before President’s Rule came into effect and told the BJP leadership that the government would collapse if Biren Singh was not removed.

Mr Singh, who is popular in his constituency, became the first Meitei MLA to reach out to the Kuki-Zo community since violence broke out in the state in 2023. On December 8, in an unprecedented event, Mr. Singh visited two Kuki-Zo villages and a relief camp to extend solidarity with displaced people and those affected by violence. The choice of villages was also symbolic; Both villages are located in the Naga-dominated districts of Kamjong and Ukhrul. Although his visit was criticized by Kuki-Zo civil society groups, Mr Singh said: “We adults may have our differences but we must not let this conflict affect our children’s future.”

He praised the efforts of the Hmar community, which is part of the Kuki-Zo umbrella group, while sharing a video on his Facebook page on January 21. “It is truly encouraging to see the warm gesture of our Hmar brothers who offered tea and snacks to the team led by Jiri Budhachandra during the road repair visit at Jairolpokpi in Jiribam. This action reflects a renewed commitment towards peace and understanding, overcoming past differences. Such cooperation is a positive indicator that peace is slowly returning and development and progress are possible. For our future generations, all 36 communities in Manipur must continue to walk together on the path of peace and harmony,” he said.

How Mr Singh’s two aides – Nemcha Kipgen of Kuki Zo and Losii Dikho of the BJP’s alliance partner Naga People’s Front (NPF) – handle governance issues will be closely watched in the coming days. Ms. Kipgen did not travel to Imphal to take oath, instead taking oath virtually from Manipur Bhavan in Delhi, and her appointment had led to widespread protests in Kuki-Zo areas where civil society groups demanded that their political demands be resolved before an MLA from the community provides legitimacy to the government.

With a year to go before the next elections in February 2027, Mr Singh’s mandate is over.

It was published – 08 February 2026 01:05 IST