JOIN USN Biren Singh takes oath as Manipur CM for second consecutive term
N Biren Singh on Monday took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Manipur along with five other MLAs as ministers, thus, becoming the first BJP leader in the state to be a CM twice.
Singh, 61, and five other MLAs were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor La Ganeshan at Raj Bhawa in Imphal. Biren was on Sunday evening elected as leader of the BJP legislature party after days of suspense and speculations over the CM candidate.
Although Biren was the frontrunner, another senior leader Thongam Biswajit Singh was a strong contender for the top post. Both Biren and Biswajit were called to New Delhi twice for meetings with senior BJP leaders before Biren’s name was cleared and subsequently he was elected as the leader of the legislature party at Imphal.
After Biren, Biswajit was the second MLA to take oath on Monday followed by Y Khemchand Singh and Konthouam Govindas Singh, two other senior BJP leaders, whose names were also heard as the CM contenders. One woman MLA, Nrmcha Kipgen was among the five who took oath as ministers.
BJP won absolute majority with 32 out of 60 Assembly seats on March 11 when results of the elections were declared. But the suspense continued over the CM post as BJP did not project anyone as the CM candidate before the elections.
Biren, the leader:
A former footballer and journalist, Biren Singh emerged as a strong leader in 2017, months after he switched from Congress to BJP when he successfully stitched an alliance with National People's Party (NPP) and Naga People's Front (NPF), two regional parties and thus, gave BJP its first government in Manipur. Biren became the CM, replacing veteran Congressman and his former mentor, Okram Ibobi Singh, who served as CM thrice in a row between 2002 and 2017. Biren led a group of dissident MLAs before shifting to BJP in 2016.
Biren joined politics in 2002 and has won all elections he contested since then.
In this election, it was Biren who decided to contest the polls without a pre-poll alliance exuding confidence that BJP would get absolute majority on its own. The results, according to party sources, consolidated Biren's position in the party and gave him an edge over his contenders for the CM post.
Congress's count in this election has come down to just five, against 28 in 2017.
Biren’s capacity and initiatives to reach out to the hills to bridge the psychological gap between hills and the Valley in the past five years as CM was also counted in favour of him. Biren was also credited by top party leaders for ending problem of frequent blockades and reducing militancy-related violence since 2017.
With Biren becoming the CM for the second term and steering the party to absolute majority, he may now be counted among BJP's big faces in the North East, others being Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Cabinet Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb and Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu. Sonowal was replaced by Sarma in Assam after BJP retained power for the second term in May last year, while Pema Khandu became the CM for the second term. Biplab also gave BJP its first government in Tripura in 2018 and is gearing up for Assembly elections next year.
BJP Chief JP Nadda, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Biplab Kumar Deb, Nagaland deputy CM Y. Patton, among others attended the simple and brief swearing-in function.
Five MLAs of NPF, six MLAs of Nitish Kumar's JD (U), two MLAs of Kuki People's Alliance and two Independent MLAs have offered their support to the BJP government. NPP too has expressed its willingness to join the government. But Biren is against it, mainly due to his differences with NPP chief and Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma and Y Joykumar Singh, who was the deputy CM under Biren since 2017.
Watch the latest DH Videos here: