Y Khemchand Singh, BJP leader, sworn in as Manipur CM; Nemcha Kipgen is Deputy CM

PTC Web Desk:  The President’s Rule in Manipur formally came to an end on Wednesday with BJP leader Y Khemchand Singh taking oath as the state’s new Chief Minister. His swearing-in marked the return of an elected government after months of central administration.

A two-time BJP MLA, Khemchand Singh is widely regarded as an organisation-driven leader with deep roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Over the years, he has held several important constitutional and ministerial roles in Manipur’s political landscape.

Alongside him, Nemcha Kipgen, a BJP MLA from the Kuki community, was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister through a virtual ceremony. L Dikho, an MLA from the Naga People’s Front (NPF), also took oath as Deputy Chief Minister, underlining the coalition nature of the new government.

Beyond politics, Khemchand Singh is known for his long-standing association with Taekwondo. A black belt holder, he has earlier served as vice-president of the Taekwondo Federation of India and has played an active role in promoting the sport across the Northeast.

Although his political career spans decades, Khemchand Singh entered the Manipur Assembly for the first time in 2017, winning from the Singjamei constituency in Imphal West district. During the BJP’s first government in the state, led by N Biren Singh, he was elected Speaker of the Manipur Assembly.

Following the BJP’s return to power in 2022, he was inducted into the Biren Singh Cabinet, handling crucial departments such as municipal administration, housing and urban development (MAHUD), rural development and panchayati raj and education.

His tenure as a Cabinet minister ended in February 2025, when President’s Rule was imposed in the state, days after N Biren Singh stepped down amid mounting criticism over the government’s response to the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis, which began in May 2023.

Khemchand Singh had first entered electoral politics in 2012, contesting the Assembly elections on an All India Trinamool Congress ticket, though he was unsuccessful. He joined the BJP the following year, in 2013.

Born in Singjamei Yumnam Leikai, Khemchand Singh completed his High School Leaving Certificate in 1978 from Ram Lal Paul High School, Imphal. He is married and has one son.

Wednesday’s oath-taking ceremony signalled a new political chapter for Manipur, with the formation of a government that reflects participation from multiple communities and parties after a prolonged period of central rule.