Days after the Manipur Chief Minister resigned from the post, the state has been placed under the President’s rule. This decision comes days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to reach a consensus on Singh’s replacement.

Last Sunday, Manipur CM N Biren Singh tendered his resignation from the post of CM. He handed over the letter of resignation from the post of Chief Minister to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

Singh was accompanied by 14 MLAs belonging to the BJP and NPF. State BJP president A Sharda and senior saffron party leader Sambit Patra was also part of the delegation. His resignation came nearly two years after the ethnic violence marred the northeastern state.

The violence between the Meitei and the Kuki communities in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023, following the Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list.

After meeting the governor, Singh went to the CM secretariat. In his letter to the governor, Singh said, “It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur thus far. I am extremely grateful to the central government for time actions, interventions, developmental work and implementation of various projects for safeguarding the interests of every single Manipuri.” This comes hours after he returned from Delhi.

Last Saturday, Singh convened a meeting with BJP-led ruling alliance MLAs at the CM Secretariat in connection with the upcoming assembly session beginning February 10. The meeting was held in the wake of the opposition Congress seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the government led by Singh.