Imphal, March 20
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced that N Biren Singh would remain the chief minister of Manipur for a second term.
Sitharaman, who has been sent to the northeastern state as central observer, said Singh was unanimously chosen by the BJP’s state legislature party as its leader.
The legislature party’s meeting and announcement follows 10 days of uncertainty since the assembly poll results were announced, with rivals Biren Singh and senior BJP MLA Th Biswajit Singh rushing to Delhi twice to meet central leaders in what was seen as part of a hectic lobbying exercise by competing camps, despite denials of differences.
“It is a good decision taken unanimously, which will ensure that Manipur has a stable and responsible government. The Centre, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gives special attention to the northeastern states,” the finance minister said.
Sitharaman and Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is the co-observer, arrived at Imphal earlier on Sunday to attend the meeting of the newly-elected BJP MLAs in Manipur.
Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Manipur’s titular king and BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba and party national spokesperson Sambit Patra also flew in for the crucial meet.
The BJP returned to power in Manipur by winning 32 seats in the 60-member House in the recent assembly elections.
In the 2017 polls, although the BJP had won only 21 seats, it managed to lure MLAs from the Congress, which clinched 28 seats, and Biren Singh was sworn in as the first-ever BJP chief minister in Manipur.
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