Imphal: Just a day before the scheduled Budget session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly on Monday, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh submitted his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan, Imphal, on Sunday (February 9, 2025).
Singh was accompanied by BJP in-charge of Manipur Dr. Sambit Patra, State BJP president Sharda Devi, Ministers Th. Biswajit, Dr. Sapam Ranjan, Govindas Konthoujam, and several BJP MLAs.
According to a press statement from Raj Bhavan, the Governor accepted Singh’s resignation along with that of his Council of Ministers. He has, however, asked Singh to continue in office until alternative arrangements are made.
The resignation follows a nearly two-hour meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, attended by BJP president JP Nadda. Reports suggest growing dissent among BJP MLAs, who had been pressuring the party leadership to remove Singh from his post.
“It has been an honour to serve the people of Manipur. I am deeply grateful to the central government for its support, timely interventions, and developmental initiatives aimed at safeguarding the state’s interests,” Singh stated in his resignation letter.
His departure comes amid internal power struggles within the party. Additionally, the Speaker’s Tribunal has been reviewing disqualification cases filed by the Congress and others against five JD(U) legislators who joined the BJP in September 2022, along with four NPP MLAs.
Despite the Congress announcing a ‘No Confidence Motion’ against Singh’s government, sources suggest his resignation was driven by other factors. With only five legislators, the Congress lacks the numbers to push through the motion effectively.
Singh’s resignation also comes just days after the Supreme Court directed a central forensics lab to examine leaked audio tapes, allegedly featuring Singh discussing ethnic violence in the state.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP of acting “too late” in removing Singh, suggesting the move was aimed at preventing the collapse of its government and avoiding legal consequences. Meanwhile, the Congress Legislative Party has reaffirmed its intent to introduce a no-confidence motion during the budget session, a move political observers believe may have also played a role in Singh’s decision to step down. With agency inputs
