N Biren Singh takes oath as Chief Minister of Manipur in Imphal

Imphal, Mar 20: N Biren Singh, BJP legislature party leader, has taken oath as the Chief Minister of Manipur on Monday at 3 pm on Monday in Imphal.

Nemcha Kipgen, Y Khemchand Singh, Th Biswajit Singh, Awangbou Newmai, and Govindas Konthoujam swore in as the Cabinet Ministers of the state.

The BJP was invited by the Governor of Manipur La. Ganesan to form the next government on Sunday.

Governor Ganesan had invited Singh as the leader of the BJP legislative party to "indicate the time and date for forming the ministry" a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan had said. The Gubernatorial statement came soon after Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Kiren Rijiju handed over a letter on behalf of the party to Ganesan stating that N Biren Singh was elected unanimously as the leader of the BJP legislature party with 32 MLAs.

Two political parties JD (U) with six members, Kuki People's Alliance with two members and one independent "extended their unconditional support to the BJP" and their letters of support have also been submitted to the governor, the Raj Bhavan statement added. This gives the BJP led government a strength of 41 and a two-third majority in the 60-member Manipur assembly.

After 10 days of uncertainty, the party took the decision to continue with Biren Singh as the chief minister of Manipur. Both Singh and BJP MLA Th Biswajit Singh, who was also in the race for CM post, had rushed to Delhi twice to meet the central leaders in what was seen as part of a hectic lobbying exercise by competing camps, despite denials of differences.

On Sunday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that N Biren Singh would remain the chief minister of Manipur for a second term. Sitharaman, who has been sent to the northeastern state as central observer, said Singh was unanimously chosen by the BJP's state legislature party as its leader.

"It is a good decision taken unanimously, which will ensure that Manipur has a stable and responsible government," the finance minister said. Sitharaman and Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is the co-observer, arrived at Imphal earlier on Sunday to attend the meeting of the newly elected BJP MLAs in Manipur.

Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Manipur's titular king and BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba and party national spokesperson Sambit Patra also flew in for the crucial meet.

In the recently-concluded election, the BJP emerged victorious by winning 32 seats with a massive 37.8 per cent vote share and political observers give Biren Singh credit for this. They consider his ability to get win support both in the plains where the Meiteis predominate and the hills where Nagas, Kukis and other tribal groups are the majority, for the BJP, a party which is a relative newbie in the state, to be a major contributor. PTI