Biren Singh is Manipur’s first ever BJP chief minister

Our Correspondent
Imphal, March 15: National level footballer-turned-journalist-turned-politician, Nongthombam Biren Singh was on Wednesday sworn in as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led coalition government’s chief minister of Manipur. He is aged 56.
Governor Dr Najma A Heptulla administered the oath of office and secrecy to Biren, who switched over to BJP in October last year, and deputy chief minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh and seven other cabinet ministers at a full packed ceremony at Imphal Raj Bhavan. National People’s Party (NPP) legislator, Y Joykumar Singh of Uripok was sworn-in as deputy chief minister. Other council of ministers who were sworn-in today include Th Bishwajit Singh (BJP) of Thongju; L Jayentakumar Singh (NPP) of Keishamthong; Karam Shyam (LJP) of Langthabal; Letpao Haokip (NPP) of Chandel; N Kayisii (NPP) of Tadubi; Th Shyamkumar (INC) of Andro and Losii Dikho (NPF) of Mao.
Thus four ministerial berths were allotted to NPP in the day’s swearing in ceremony while, besides the chief minister, Biswajit is the only BJP MLA in the cabinet. Though Biren gave no indication, party’s key functionary in government formation claimed next cabinet expansion is expected after March 22 or 23 as the ministry can have only 12 ministers.
Speaking to the press after the swearing in ceremony, Biren, who is the 24th chief minister of Manipur, said lifting of ongoing indefinite blockade on Manipur highways will be his government’s priority.
Later addressing a reception function at BJP Manipur Pradesh office minutes after the swearing in ceremony, Biren appealed to United Naga Council (UNC) to lift the blockade on humanitarian ground. “Whatever the reason may be but we can sit together, we can sort out (the problem),”he said.
Manipur has been reeling under indefinite blockade on Manipur sector of National Highways imposed by the UNC in protest of the creation of districts by the former Congress government, since November 1 midnight last year. He also added that other priorities of the new government will include corruption-free government and equal development of both valley and hills for a united Manipur.
Cabinet meetings of the new government will also be held at the hill district headquarters to see the ground situation, he added.
Outgoing chief minister and Congress legislature party leader, Okram Ibobi Singh who was present at the day’s swearing in ceremony with state Congress chief TN Haokip, said that they will take the role of a constructive opposition.
Ibobi who had also staked claim to form the government after the Congress emerged as the single largest in the assembly with 28 seats out of 60, said that they’ll wait and watch apart from taking part as a constructive opposition.
Though BJP national president Amit Shah, chief ministers of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Pawan Chamling and Pema Khandu failed to turn up, union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Piyush Goyal, Jitendra Singh, chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam finance minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma, Manipur’s titular king Leishemba Sanajaoba, former Manipur CM RB Koijam and others attended the day’s swearing in ceremony.
The BJP, which won 21 seats and became second single largest party after Congress (28), claims that they’ve the requisite number to run a government with the support of 4 MLAs each of National People’s Party and Naga People’s Front besides one MLAs each of LokJansakti Party and Trinamool Congress, and one Independent legislator.
Biren, a resident of Luwangsangbam Mamang Leikai in Imphal East district, turned to politics and was elected for the first time as an MLA from Heingang constituency on the regional Democratic Revolutionary People’s Party ticket in 2002 and the party later merged with Congress before the 2004 Assembly elections.
In 2003, he was appointed as minister of state for Vigilance and later became minister of Irrigation & Flood Control and Youth Affairs & Sports. He retained his Assembly seat in both 2007 and 2012. The then vice-president of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, Biren left Congress and joined BJP on October 17, 2016 and was re-elected from Heingang in the recently concluded assembly polls.