Imphal (Manipur): In a dramatic political development, around 25 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators gathered on Friday at the Imphal residence of senior party leader Thongam Biswajit Singh, intensifying their push to end President’s Rule and restore a popularly elected government in the conflict-scarred state of Manipur.
The meeting comes just days after a group of 10 MLAs — including eight from the BJP, one from the National People’s Party (NPP), and one Independent — stormed the Raj Bhavan on May 28 to meet Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, demanding the immediate revival of democratic governance in the troubled region.
“The people of Manipur are yearning for a popular government. That is why we met the Governor — the majority wants change,” said Independent MLA Sapam Nishikanta Singh after the meeting, adding, “We also conveyed concerns over how President’s Rule may not work in the long run. The Governor listened to us positively.”
This political uprising unfolds as the Imphal valley simmers with unrest. A civil disobedience movement led by a prominent Meitei organisation has gained momentum after a May 20 incident where central forces allegedly defaced a state-run bus by covering up the words “Manipur State Transport”—a move widely perceived as an insult to the state’s identity.
The state’s political vacuum began on February 13, when BJP leader N. Biren Singh stepped down as Chief Minister, paving the way for the imposition of President’s Rule amid a deepening ethnic crisis that erupted on May 3, 2023. The violence has since claimed hundreds of lives and left the state fractured.
Now, with mounting pressure from within the ruling party, the question looms large: Will the Centre respond to the call for democracy’s return, or will Manipur remain in administrative limbo?
