Eyes now on man from Singjamei AC Khemchand : The dark horse

The dark horse and this idiom sits neatly on the head of newly sworn in Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand. Things have literally moved fast in the last 48 hours or so. Just one day after BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh was named as the Central observer to oversee the election/selection of the BJP Legislature Party leader, the man from Singjamei Assembly Constituency was unanimously named as the man for the said post, paving the way for his climb to the post of Chief Minister. Even as Khemchand and some other MLAs who were designated to be included in the Council of Ministers landed at Imphal and headed straight for Lok Bhavan, came the news that President’s Rule has been revoked, signalling the removal of the last object standing in the climb to the post of the Chief Minister for Khemchand. More than enough indications that if the Centre sets its eyes on doing something, it has the resources to do so. A point that may not have been lost to the keen political observers. For nearly a year, that is after President’s Rule was imposed on February 13, 2025, a number of names did the round on who would be best placed to occupy the chair of Chief Minister. As the PR stint neared the one year mark,  names of the probables started doing the round with more gusto with some even going ahead and listing the persons best placed to occupy the hot seat, in order of merit ! And sure enough there were the mischief makers too, who did take a sort of a ‘sadistic’ pleasure to add more colour to the speculations doing the round with some specific individuals being named and put in order of preference or probability on where they stand in the march towards the chair of the Chief Minister. Not exactly a race one may say, for if there was one line that united all the BJP MLAs during the PR stint, it was ‘Let the Centre decide on who will be the Chief Minister.’ The Central BJP leaders too seem to have played their cards well, and the developments in just 48 before Khemchand was named as the Chief Minister should testify this. First summon all the BJP MLAs as well as MLAs of the NDA partners to Delhi. Meet the BJP MLAs separately and a little later hold another meeting of the NDA partner MLAs at a different venue. In between name the Central observer to oversee the election/selection of the BJP Legislature Party leader and what Manipur saw on February 4, 2026 seemed like a well drafted, carefully edited and minutely screened script, leaving no room for anyone to cry foul, except obviously organisations like the Kuki Inpi, Manipur and Kuki-Zo Council.
Five including the Chief Minister have been sworn in as Ministers and what makes the revival of the popular Government all that more interesting lies in the fact that for the first time Manipur will see two Deputy Chief Ministers-Nemcha Kipgen from Kangpokpi AC and Losii Dikho of the NPF from Mao Assembly Constituency. One from the Naga community and another from the Kuki-Zo community. Right blend, many would say and again making the swearing in ceremony at Lok Bhavan all that more significant is the fact that two from the Kuki-Zo community were present-Churachandpur AC MLA LM Khaute and Ngursanglur Sanate from Tipaimukh AC. This was the first time that any MLA from the Kuki-Zo community had stepped inside Imphal after May 3, 2023. Notching up another first is the virtual swearing in of Nemcha Kipgen from Manipur Bhavan, Sardar Patel Marg. The inclusion of Kipgen in the Council of Ministers and the presence of LM Khaute and Sanate at Raj Bhavan is also a sharp departure from the time when MLAs from the Kuki-Zo community stayed away from even Assembly proceedings after May 3, 2023 ! Many would see this as the right start in office for Yumnam Khemchand and his Council of Ministers, but the real test will come in the days ahead, in the face of the hawkish stand adopted by the KZC, KIM and some other Kuki-Zo CSOs. But as pointed out in an earlier commentary here, all it should take is a wag of the finger from Union Home Minister Amit Shah for all to fall in line. Khemchand, as of now is the man of the moment but the last word is yet to be spoken. The test starts now.