The most urgent concern following Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s abrupt departure on Sunday is who would take over as the state’s next chief minister in the violent state. Five possible candidates are being considered as front-runners for the top position in the northeastern state, sources informed India Today, even though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not yet released an official announcement.
A day after the Manipur Congress said that it would file a motion of no-confidence against his government on February 10, Biren Singh resigned. On February 9, Biren Singh, BJP North East Coordinator Sambit Patra, and many MLAs met with Governor Ajay Bhalla at approximately 5:30 p.m.; Singh then resigned. For the time being, he has been asked to remain the caretaker Chief Minister.
Five possible candidates have surfaced amid mounting rumors about the BJP’s selection to succeed Biren Singh. According to sources, these people had a secret meeting with Sambit Patra, the state’s party in-charge.
Thokchom Satyabrata Singh is presently the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly. He was elected from the Yaiskul constituency in the 2017 and 2022 elections. He served as the State Cabinet Minister for Labor & Employment, Law & Legislative Affairs of Manipur, Food & Public Distribution, and Consumer Affairs.
From the Nambol Assembly constituency in the Bishnupur District of Manipur, Basanta Kumar Singh has served as an MLA four times. On a BJP ticket, he won the Manipur Legislative Assembly election in 2022. In the second N Biren Singh cabinet, he is the minister of education.
In the 2017 Manipur Legislative Assembly election, Radheshyam Singh, a BJP member, was chosen to represent Heirok in the legislature. In the administration of N Biren Singh, he served as the Minister of Education, Labor, and Employment. After serving as an MLA for two consecutive terms on the BJP ticket, he was re-elected to the Manipur Legislative Assembly in 2022 and went on to become the Chief Minister of Manipur’s advisor. Another former Manipur-born IPS officer is Radheshyam. In 2006, he was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry. In 2013, he was also awarded the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service. In 2000, Radheshyam was assigned to the UN peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Regional Chief of Human Rights. He served as the ADC to the Governor of Manipur during 1996-2000.
From 2017 to 2022, Yumnam Khemchand Singh served as the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly. He now serves in the second Biren Singh cabinet as a Cabinet Minister for the Education Department and Municipal Administration Housing Development (MAHUD).
Biswajit Singh is the Minister of Agriculture, Science, Technology, Power, Forests, and Climate Change. He resigned in 2015 after winning the 2012 Trinamool Congress election. Following his resignation, he ran as a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected.
Sambit Patra, the national in-charge of the BJP, recently met behind closed doors with important Manipur political heavyweights. The party’s biggest obstacle is choosing a leader who can bring all groups together, making sure that the new leader appeals to both Chief Minister Biren Singh’s fans and his detractors. To keep the party together, the chosen leader must have the backing of all sides. Several well-known BJP leaders, including Radheshyam, Khemchand, Nishikant, and Nirul Hasan, attended the conference in a posh hotel in Imphal and were instrumental in the discussions.
