Will Thongam Biswajit Singh be next Manipur CM? Former minister refuses to comment
Caretaker chief minister Biren Singh and Thongam Biswajit Singh were both called to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister earlier this week.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to name its chief minister for Manipur where the party won a majority in the recently held Assembly election. N Biren Singh is currently the incumbent and has spent some time in the national capital holding talks with the central leadership. Another name that has emerged is that of former Manipur minister Thongam Biswajit Singh, but he has refused to comment on the matter so far.
Biren Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, besides other top leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. This came a day after he, Biswajit Singh and state BJP president Adhikarimayum Sharda took a chartered flight to Delhi after being summoned by the central leadership amid ongoing discussions over the next head of the state.
Biswajit Singh later said he was not willing to comment on reports suggesting him being one of the chief ministerial options in Manipur. "I don't want to comment on that... We don't have any group among ourselves, that is for sure. The BJP is a democratic party, and the leadership will decide this (the CM issue)," he said.
Also Read | Wish N Biren Singh the best for fulfilling Manipur's aspirations, says Rajnath
Biswajit Singh's name propped up after leaders of the party reportedly felt that he had missed his chance in 2017 despite playing a pivotal role in the election.
On Monday, Biren Singh took oath as a member of the legislative assembly in Manipur. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and law minister Kiren Rijiju are expected to visit the northeastern state in the coming days for the party’s legislature meeting. The term of the outgoing Assembly will expire on March 19.
The BJP bagged a clear majority in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Manipur by winning 32 seats in the 60-member House, while the other prominent competitors managed only single-digit victories.
The Congress bagged five seats and the NPP won seven seats. The Naga People's Front won five and the Kuki People's Alliance got two seats, while independents bagged three seats.
