N Biren Singh retained as Manipur Chief Minister

N Biren Singh has been chosen as Manipur Chief Minister for a second time ten days after the results of Manipur Assembly elections. The BJP central observers for the state Sithararaman and Kiren Rijiju and party leader Bhupendra Yadav had landed in Imphal earlier in the day to attend the crucial party meeting for the formation of the new BJP government in Manipur. Recently, Nirmala Sitharaman and Rijiju were appointed as observers for Manipur for the election of the legislature leader in the state.

In the recently concluded elections, the BJP had won an absolute majority with 32 seats of 60-member assembly, while the National People’s Party (NPP), a coalition partner of the BJP in the previous government, came second with seven seats. The opposition Congress and Naga People’s Front had secured five seats each. The Janata Dal (U) had secured six, newly floated Kuki People’s Alliance two seats, while Independents candidates won three seats. The 61-year-old has been widely credited for bringing peace and bridging the divide between the people of the valley and the hills, in this insurgency-hit, multi-ethnic state during his tenure as chief minister in the past five years.