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N. Biren Singh to be Manipur CM for 2nd term, ‘unanimously chosen’ by BJP MLAs, says Sitharaman

Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Kiren Rijiju, BJP’s central observers for the state, made the decision after discussions with newly elected MLAs.

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Guwahati: After days of suspense over who would be appointed as chief minister in Manipur following the assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday announced that N. Biren Singh would retain the position for a second term.

The decision was made by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Kiren Rijiju — the party’s appointed observer and co-observer for Manipur, respectively — following their discussions with the state’s newly elected MLAs. 

At a press conference in Imphal, Sitharaman said, “The newly elected MLAs have unanimously chosen Biren Singh, the sitting CM and caretaker CM, as leader of the legislative party of the BJP, Manipur Pradesh.”

The assembly elections, which concluded this month, saw the BJP bag 32 seats in a house of 60. 

Several leaders have tweeted congratulating Biren over his reappointment. 

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, the party in-charge for Manipur, in a tweet said, “I congratulate and extend my best wishes to Shri @NBirenSingh ji on being elected as the leader of the Legislative Party for @BJP4Manipur.” 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, “Under your able leadership, I am sure Manipur will continue on the path of accelerated growth & development.”

BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi and party national spokesperson Sambit Patra were also among those who tweeted their congratulations.

 

Who is N. Biren Singh?

A former footballer, Border Security Force (BSF) jawan and journalist, Biren Singh was first elected to the Manipur Assembly in 2002 on a Democratic Revolutionary Peoples Party ticket from the Heingang constituency. A year later, he joined the Congress and was appointed minister of state for vigilance.

Once a close aide of former Manipur CM (2002-2017) and Congressman Okram Ibobi Singh, Biren Singh eventually left the Congress for the BJP in 2016 following differences with Ibobi.

In 2017, as the BJP clinched power in the state after stitching together an alliance with the Naga People’s Front, National People’s Party (NPP) and Lok Janshakti Party, Biren was appointed CM.

His term as chief minister saw several controversies, including sedition cases being filed against journalists in the state. The government also witnessed trouble between Biren and the BJP’s Thongam Biswajit Singh, a former cabinet minister, and the NPP’s Joykumar Singh, the former deputy CM, after the latter two were stripped of their portfolios

(Edited by Rohan Manoj)


Also read: ‘Was lone warrior till 2017’, says ex-minister Thongam Biswajit as BJP’s Manipur CM race heats up


 

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