N. Biren Singh’s resignation as Chief Minister of Manipur followed 21 months of opposition from Kuki-Zo leaders, decreasing favor in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley, demands for his resignation from the Opposition, and the departure of a key NDA partner. Ultimately, discontent from colleagues within the Valley led to his departure on Sunday.
Kuki-Zo groups, along with 10 MLAs from their community—including seven from the BJP, two of whom were ministers—held Singh accountable for the ethnic conflict that started on May 3, 2023. Discontent within his party had been growing and intensifying since last year. BJP MLAs from the Valley had been appealing to the party’s central leadership, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in October 2024, to replace the CM, although the BJP leadership initially stood by Singh.
A key turning point was the Manipur Assembly’s Budget session, scheduled to begin on Monday. Dissident MLAs, feeling unheard, were prepared to take an “unprecedented and drastic move” during the session by supporting a no-confidence motion likely to be moved by the Congress. As divisions deepened between Singh’s loyalists and the dissidents, the two groups began separating on Sunday morning as the Assembly session approached.
Events began to shift when Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, a critic of the CM, visited New Delhi and met with BJP president J P Nadda. According to sources, Satyabrata Singh informed Nadda about the no-confidence motion, and when asked if its introduction could be prevented, the Speaker indicated he could not stop it.
On February 3, Manipur Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, another known critic of Biren Singh, arrived in New Delhi. He reportedly cautioned the BJP leadership that the government was likely to collapse if the CM was not replaced. Governor Ajay Bhalla met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on February 4 to discuss the situation.
On February 5, Biren Singh traveled to New Delhi but was unable to meet with the Home Minister. Subsequently, he and some loyal ministers went to the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. As pressure intensified and the Assembly session neared, Biren Singh returned to New Delhi on Saturday. After a two-hour discussion with Shah and Nadda on Sunday, it was decided that he would have to resign.
According to a BJP MLA who advocated for Biren Singh’s resignation, the timing and circumstances were critical. The MLAs decided not to wait any longer, asserting that they had the support of a majority of MLAs from the BJP, the NPF (Naga People’s Front), and the NPP (National People’s Party), all of which are BJP allies.
BJP sources also indicated that the central government had recently initiated measures to enhance border security and control law and order. These efforts included the appointment of Bhalla, a former Union Home Secretary, as Governor, and a complete overhaul of the bureaucracy.
A BJP source noted that a no-confidence motion and the potential collapse of the government would have disrupted these efforts, which the national leadership wanted to avoid overshadowing. The BJP’s recent success in Delhi further emboldened them to take such action. The Supreme Court’s request for a sealed report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, regarding leaked audio tapes allegedly implicating Biren Singh in fueling the ethnic conflict, also raised concerns about his continued leadership.
Despite previous support from the BJP leadership, Biren Singh’s leadership became a liability in the eyes of his party colleagues who opposed him. The loss of trust in the state BJP government was evident in the Lok Sabha elections the previous year, where the NDA lost both Manipur seats to the Congress. Discontent grew in November when the homes of MLAs and ministers, including Biren Singh, were vandalized following the abduction and killing of six Meitei women and children. NPP president Conrad Sangma announced that his party would no longer support the Biren Singh government, citing his “leadership failure”.
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