Imphal, Mar 20: Caretaker Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh was on Sunday re-elected as the BJP legislature party leader and he will be Chief Minister for second consecutive term, BJP’s central observer and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced here after the meeting with the newly elected MLAs.
“Newly elected MLAs of the BJP Legislative Party in Manipur have unanimously chosen Shri @NBirenSingh as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party in Manipur.”
– Smt @nsitharaman announces while interacting with media in Imphal, Manipur. pic.twitter.com/VNLRKucI8l
— NSitharamanOffice (@nsitharamanoffc) March 20, 2022
Sitharaman, accompanied by co-observer Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju and after around two hours long meeting with the BJP’s newly elected MLAs in Imphal, announced that Biren Singh has been unanimously re-elected as leader of the legislature party.
After the announcement, Sitharaman, Rijiju, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, BJP’s National Spokesman Sambit Patra, state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi and other leaders congratulated Singh with flower bouquet.
Congratulations and best wishes to Shri @NBirenSingh on being elected as the leader of BJP Manipur Pradesh legislative party & the Chief Minister of Manipur.@BJP4India @narendramodi @JPNadda @byadavbjp @nsitharaman @KirenRijiju @sambitswaraj pic.twitter.com/21OV2otCj6
— BJP Manipur (@BJP4Manipur) March 20, 2022
Ten days after the declarations of the assembly election results, the BJP after a series of hectic parleys in Imphal and in New Delhi announced that Singh would remain as the Chief Minister even as minister of the outgoing government and influential BJP leader Thongam Biswajit Singh was also the strong contender for the top post.
BJP sources said that a former footballer and journalist turned politician, Singh, 61, would take oath and assume office as the new Chief Minister either on Sunday night or on Monday.
Singh, a former Congress leader, joined the BJP in October 2016. In the February-March assembly elections, he won from his traditional Heingang assembly constituency for the record 5th time.
Earlier on Sunday, Sitharaman, Rijiju, Yadav and Patra came to Imphal and then held a close door meeting with the newly elected MLAs of the BJP.
Biren Singh, Biswajit Singh, Speaker in the previous assembly Yumnam Khemchand Singh along with state BJP President went to Delhi twice within a week and held a series of meetings there with the BJP’s central leaders to discuss the name of next Manipur Chief Minister and formation of government.
The BJP in the recent assembly polls secured an absolute majority of 32 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly.
