Imphal, Feb 10: A day after the resignation of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, hectic parleys were going on to choose an alternate leader of the ruling BJP legislature party who would lead the new government.
The BJP’s northeast in-charge Sambit Patra held a series of meetings with the Ministers, MLAs and leaders of BJP and other saffron party allies to take their views on Monday, before selection of the new legislature party leader. According to a top BJP leader, state Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh and Municipal Administrations, Housing and Urban Development (MAHUD) Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh are the frontrunners for the chief minister’s post.
“The party is trying to choose a leader who will be acceptable both among tribals – Kuki-Zo-Hmar and Naga and majority non-tribal Meitei communities,” the leader told IANS, refusing to be named.
He said that last week, the Central BJP leaders called Chief Minister Biren Singh along with three ministers, a few leaders and MLAs to Delhi and discussed the political and ethnic situation in Manipur.
The BJP leader added that the central leaders also separately called Satyabrata Singh and Khemchand Singh and discussed similar political issues. Both Satyabrata Singh and Khemchand Singh belong to the Meitei community in Manipur.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley while Nagas and Kuki-Zo-Hmar constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.
Around two years after the ethnic violence between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar broke out in Manipur and devastated the state, Chief Minister Biren Singh on Sunday submitted his resignation letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla a day before the crucial Assembly session, which however was cancelled by the Governor on Sunday night.
A Raj Bhavan official had said that the Governor accepted the resignation letter and requested Biren Singh to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are made.
Biren Singh accompanied by Sambit Patra, also Lok Sabha member from Puri in Odisha, returned to Imphal from Delhi on Sunday afternoon before meeting the Governor to submit the resignation letter.
In the national Capital, Biren Singh held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party President, J.P. Nadda. A top party leader told IANS that following the directions from the central BJP leaders, Biren Singh unwillingly submitted his resignation letter to the Governor.
Biren Singh’s resignation comes amid hectic political activities, with the Opposition Congress earlier announcing to move a no-confidence motion against the BJP government in the Assembly session, that was set to begin on Monday but the Governor made the session ‘null and void’ hours after Biren Singh quit.
IANS