N Blren resigns, told to continue as caretaker CM
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 09 2025: Ahead of the 7th Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly which was set to begin on Monday, chief minister N Biren Singh, tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla few hours after returning from Delhi on Sunday.

Accepting the resignation letter, the Governor, however, advised the CM to continue as caretaker CM.

The CM's abrupt resignation came amid speculations over the past few days of a no-confidence motion moved against him if he is not removed or replaced ahead of the upcoming Assembly session.

On Saturday, CM Biren left for Delhi on a chartered flight and returned to Imphal with BJP national spokesperson MP Dr Sambit Patra on Sunday around 4.25 pm.

N Blren resigns, told to continue as caretaker CM

At his Babupara residence, he conferred with some ruling MLAs for a while before heading to the Raj Bhavan around 5.20 pm.

Prior to arrival of the CM and the MLAs at Raj Bhavan, strict security measures were taken up around the Governor's residence with vehicles coming in from Kangla Western Gate, Sanjenthong and Keishampat sides diverted and barred from passing through the Raj Bhavan gate.

CM Biren, accompanied by Dr Sambit Patra, BJP Manipur Pradesh president A Sharda, MLAs/ministers Thongam Biswajit, Govindas Konthoujam, Dr S Ranjan, Th Basanta Kumar, Heikham Dingo, Khashim Vashum, Awangbow Newmai, S Premchandra, Sapam Kunjakishore, Karam Shyam, Usham Deben, and Dinganglung Gangmei; NPP legislators Thongam Shanti, Mayanglambam Rameshwar; and NPF's K Leishiyo, entered Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to the Governor.

The group then left the Raj Bhavan around 6pm.Meanwhile, the Governor's Secretariat issued a press release in the evening informing that Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla accepted the resignation of CM N Biren along with council of ministers but asked him to continue in office till alternative arrangements are made.

In his resignation letter, CM Biren lauded the central government for taking timely action and various developmental works and projects in the state.

He expressed hope that the central government would continue the development works in the state along with highlighting the works he had done during his term as the chief minister.

Biren then put forward five points as a request to the central government through the Governor.

These included maintaining the territorial integrity of the state, crackdown on illegal immigrants, continuing the fight against drugs and narco-terrorism, revising the mechanism of Free Movement Regime with application of biometric checks, and construction and completion of the Indo-Myanmar border fencing as soon as possible.

He also listed the "stringent and fool-proof revised mechanism of FMR with the biometric being stringently applied" and "time bound and faster border which is underway" .

Meanwhile, some BJP MLAs, who are against Biren continuing as the chief minister, have reportedly started to camp in a hotel here since Saturday and holding meetings on the matter.

Nongthombam Biren Singh, 64, took over as the 12th Chief Minister of Manipur on March 15, 2017, after leading the BJP to its first victory in the state, and retained power in the 2022 Assembly elections.

However, the ethnic violence between Meeteis and Kuki-Zos that broke out in May 2023 in the state, had cast a cloud over his second term.

A senior party leader said that it is likely that the party's central leadership in consultation with state leaders would announce the new leadership within the next couple of days.

Though there have been reports for quite sometime that Biren Singh may quit the chief ministerial position following the directions of the central leaders, the development on Sunday took everyone in the political as well as non-polit-ical circles by surprise.

It may be mentioned here that CM Biren had attempted to tender resignation before on July 30, 2023 after the conflict broke out on May 3 the same year.

However, he was forced to drop the resignation plan as thousands of supporters congregated in front of the CM s Bungalow and blocked the CM from heading to the Raj Bhavan, even as some of the protestors snatched the resignation letter and tore it to shreds.

Biren then returned to his residence and later, later posted on X assuring his supporters that he would carry on as CM and not resign at such a crucial juncture.