President's Rule lifted in Manipur as Y Khemchand Singh set to take oath

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday notified that President’s Rule has been lifted from Manipur after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party leader Y Khemchand Singh was elected chief minister of the state.

 

The state had been under President’s Rule since February 2025. The revocation also came minutes after Singh staked claim to form the government in Manipur.

 

Singh will be sworn in as chief minister at 6 pm on Wednesday.

 

Why was President’s Rule imposed in Manipur?

President’s Rule was imposed after the BJP-led government headed by N Biren Singh resigned on February 9 last year, following prolonged ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities.

 

The unrest began in May 2023 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in the hill districts to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. At least 260 people were killed and thousands were displaced in the violence.

 

In the months leading up to his resignation, several BJP legislators had renewed calls for Singh’s removal, expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the situation. His resignation came 21 months after the violence first broke out on May 3, 2023.

 

What happens next under the new government?

The tenure of the newly elected Khemchand government in the 60-member Manipur Assembly is set to run until 2027.

 

According to a PTI report, Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki leader and former minister, is likely to be appointed deputy chief minister in the new Manipur government. Khemchand belongs to the Meitei community.