Y Khemchand Singh elected Manipur BJP legislature party leader; woman Kuki leader to be deputy CM
New Delhi (PTI): Y Khemchand Singh was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in Manipur on Tuesday, paving the way for the formation of a popular government in the northeastern state with him as chief minister.
Nemcha Kipgen, a woman Kuki leader and former minister, is likely to be the deputy chief minister in the new Manipur government when it is formed, sources said.
A meeting of the legislators of all constituents of the National Democratic Alliance will be held on Tuesday night, where Singh and Kipgen's names are expected to be endorsed.
Sources said Singh, a former minister, was elected as leader of the Manipur legislature party at a meeting of BJP MLAs held at the party headquarters here.
Except for two BJP MLAs, who are unwell, all other party legislators attended the meeting. Former chief minister N Biren Singh, Assembly speaker Satyabrata Singh, BJP state president A Sharda Devi, the party's central observer Tarun Chugh and its northeast in-charge Sambit Patra, among others, were also present at the meeting.
The legislature party meeting was held days ahead of the expiry of the second spell of the President's rule on February 12.
Manipur has been under President's rule since February 13, 2025. The 60-member Assembly, which has tenure till 2027, was put on suspended animation after President's rule was imposed.
Currently, there are 37 BJP MLAs in Manipur. Initially, 32 BJP candidates had won the 2022 assembly elections. The JD(U) had won six seats, and five of its MLAs later defected to the BJP.
Among others, six are from the National People's Party (NPP), five from the Naga People's Front (NPF), five from the Congress, two from the Kuki People's Alliance, one from Janata Dal (United) and three Independents. One seat is vacant following the death of a sitting MLA.
The NPF and NPP are part of the NDA in Manipur.
Over the past few months, the BJP's central leadership held several rounds of meetings with its Meitei and Kuki MLAs, allies NPF and NPP and a few Independent legislators to gauge their views on whether the political situation was conducive for the formation of a popular government, the sources said.
On December 14, the BJP's national general secretary (organisation), B L Santhosh, and Sambit Patra met BJP MLAs from the warring Meitei and Kuki communities in Delhi under one roof.
President's rule was imposed in the state after the BJP-led government headed by Biren Singh resigned on February 9 last year, following months of ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities.
After the imposition of the President's rule, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla took a number of steps to restore peace and bring back normalcy, including asking those who looted arms from security forces to surrender them.
The violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities started in May 2023 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribes status.
At least 260 people lost their lives, and thousands were displaced during the violence.
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Biker killed in crash in Delhi's Dwarka; teen held for driving SUV without licence
New Delhi (PTI): A 23-year-old motorcycle rider was killed while another man sustained injured in a collision involving two cars and a motorcycle in southwest Delhi's Dwarka area on Tuesday, police said.
The fatal accident was reported at Dwarka South police station at 11.57 am following which a police team rushed to the spot where two cars -- a private SUV and a cab -- and a motorcycle were in a pile-up, they said.
According to an official, the motorcycle rider -- identified as Sahil Dhaneshra (23) -- suffered critical injuries in the crash and succumbed by the time police reached the scene. His body was shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for postmortem examination,
The cab driver, Ajit Singh, who sustained injuries in the incident, was rushed to Indira Gandhi International Hospital for treatment. His condition is said to be stable, police said.
During verification, it was found that the driver of the SUV -- identified as Akshatra Singh (19) -- did not possess a valid driving licence, and was subsequently apprehended from the spot, the official said.
"According to initial findings, the SUV was coming from the direction of a gurdwara, while the motorcycle was approaching from the opposite direction. Following the collision between the SUV and the motorcycle, the SUV went on to hit the cab parked on the roadside," he added.
A crime team was called to the spot to carry out a detailed inspection and forensic examination of the scene was conducted to ascertain the circumstances leading to the crash. All three vehicles have been impounded for further investigation, police said.
A case has been registered in this connection and further legal action is being taken. Police said they are also examining whether factors such as speeding or negligence contributed to the accident and are recording statements of witnesses present in the area.
CCTV footage of from nearby surveillance cameras is being scanned and further investigation is underway, they added.
