With Manipur set to complete a year under President’s Rule next February, the BJP’s top leadership has summoned MLAs from the state to Delhi on Sunday amid buzz about government formation in the state.
“The party leadership in Delhi has summoned all the BJP MLAs to discuss the situation of Manipur. However, we are not made clear on the actual agenda of the meeting. I firmly believe that the reinstallation of a popular government could be on the agenda. Most of us are going, and let’s pray about bringing a popular government,” former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh told the media in Imphal on the sidelines of the 86th Nupi Lan. In the Meitei language, Nupi Lan means “Women’s War” and refers to two women-led movements against British colonial policies, the first in 1908 and the second in 1939. While Nupi Lan Day is associated with both uprisings, it is observed on the day the second movement began, December 12.
Central BJP leaders said the party wants to explore the possibility of forming a government as “it is not keen to further extend President’s Rule”. “How many times can we seek an extension? Since the Assembly was kept in suspended animation, it was always clear that the party wants to see an elected government in Manipur,” said a leader. Sources said the chances of Biren Singh returning as CM were “bleak”.
Another senior leader in Delhi said, “A semblance of normalcy has been established in the state. Regular meetings with MLAs are also a sign of normalcy. As far as the issue of government formation is concerned, sooner or later, a popular government has to replace the President’s Rule. That is the right thing to do. Also, after one year of President’s Rule, government formation kind of becomes a constitutional obligation.”
It is learnt that BJP MLAs, including the seven Kuki-Zo legislators, have been asked to attend a meeting at the national capital around 5.30 pm on Sunday. There has been increasing pressure from Manipur MLAs to form a popular government in the state. Over the past few months, several groups of MLAs have visited Delhi and held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the issue.
Last month, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh and the party’s Northeast Coordinator Sambit Patra camped in Imphal for three days. It is learned that Santosh, who has been tasked with monitoring the political mood in the state BJP, held a closed-door meeting with BJP legislators at the state party’s head office in Imphal during the visit. The BJP leaders also met with the party’s allies.
Why extending President’s Rule not an option
The government imposed President’s Rule in Manipur in February 2025 amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state that has claimed more than 250 lives since May 2023. In August, the government extended President’s Rule by another six months.
Under the Constitution, President’s Rule can be imposed in a state for a maximum period of three years, subject to parliamentary approval every six months. However, under the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1978, extension beyond a year requires two conditions: the declaration that a national emergency is in effect and the Election Commission (EC) certifies that elections cannot be held due to difficulties. If these conditions aren’t met, President’s Rule cannot exceed a year and elections or government formation must happen.
“While the Centre can extend President’s Rule up to three years, it is not easy. There have to be cogent reasons for the same. But eventually it is a decision that top central leadership has to take,” said another senior BJP leader.
Over the past year, the Centre has been reluctant to allow the formation of a popular government in the state, given its fragile law-and-order situation. President’s Rule, however, has brought a semblance of order, with violence going down considerably and hardly any killings reported in the past few months. New Delhi believes this was achieved largely due to the Centre exercising direct control over both the security forces deployed in the state and the local police.
The Manipur Assembly’s tenure is till March 2027 and BJP MLAs believe that if a popular government is not established well before that, it will be difficult for them to seek a popular mandate during the elections with any credibility.
The BJP currently has 37 MLAs in the 60-member House and yet faces an uphill task in forming a popular government because its state unit is split along fault lines that cut across leaders, communities, and elected legislators.
A prominent cluster led by figures close to (and including) former Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh has openly challenged the authority of N Biren Singh and other central leaders, creating parallel power centres and making internal consensus on leadership and portfolios difficult.
At the same time, around 10 Kuki MLAs, several of them from the BJP, have kept themselves aloof from government-formation talks and face pressure from Kuki organisations pushing for a separate administration. This limits the party’s bargaining room and undermines claims of cross-community legitimacy.