After nearly two years of ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh tendered his resignation on 9 February. His decision came amid growing political turbulence, as a section of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs indicated their willingness to support a no-confidence motion that the Congress was set to introduce in the state assembly. With his resignation, the state was left without a government, prompting Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to cancel the assembly session scheduled for 10 February.

Following Singh’s resignation, the BJP’s central leadership dispatched Sambit Patra, the party’s Manipur in-charge, to mediate discussions between legislators aligned with and opposed to the outgoing chief minister. The aim was to build consensus on his successor. However, the discussions failed to produce a unanimous choice. On 11 February, Patra, along with state BJP president A. Sharda and three legislators, met with the governor to discuss the unfolding situation.

Two days later, the Centre imposed President’s Rule to avert a constitutional crisis. Article 174(1) of the Constitution mandates that a state assembly must convene within six months, and with the Manipur assembly last adjourned on 12 August 2024, the deadline to reconvene was 12 February 2025.

The Manipur state assembly is currently in suspended animation, with elections likely to be held by February or March next year. However, the BJP’s central leadership is not inclined to conduct early elections. With no consensus on Biren Singh’s successor, the party opted to impose President’s Rule. During this period, the BJP hopes to identify a new chief ministerial candidate, as indicated by Sambit Patra—this is the primary reason the assembly remains in suspended animation.

It is worth noting that the ethnic violence in Manipur has resulted in over 200 deaths and the........

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