Manipur Mosaic :::: Can Biren Singh surprise BJP and float a new regional party ?

The political developments in Manipur in the last few months did not go in favour of former Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

That he was given 'freehand' for sometime and Home Minister Amit Shah himself defended him in Lok Sabha could  be now a forgotten episode of his political career.

A Chief Minister in a north-eastern state for one term plus means he has lot many friends, admirers and resources and in such circumstances with a weak Congress in the horizon; he can opt for floating a new regional party.  

Some of his associates have endorsed the view reportedly and a few others are advising him to move cautiously. 

The BJP high command has probably sensed things and will be deputing a trouble shooter soon. 

The BJP has 32 members of its own in the assembly and thats pretty good enough to form government of its own. So there are enough legislators who want an exclusive BJP government in power.

"If not Biren Singh let it be anybody else shom party high command trust... But there should be a popular government at the earliest," one source said. 

BJP MLAs want its ally NPF from Naga region and other regional parties like NPP and JD-U to extend outside support to new government.

For its part, the Congress is also building up a pressure on the saffron party. Even after the ouster of Biren Singh from the chair and imposition of President's Rule, the grand old party says the BJP removed Manipur's former Chief Minister due to Congress pressure.

Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka said it is an 'admission of governance failure'. He also accused BJP of playing divisive politics in Manipur.  

Since the imposition of President’s Rule, the Congress has been monitoring the situation and preparing for elections. The party said it is ready to contest and believes that voters in Manipur will hold the BJP accountable.

At a Political Affairs Committee meeting, Congress leaders discussed election strategies and the state’s ongoing crisis in Imphal recently. 

Ulaka also raised concerns about the alleged misuse of MGNREGA funds and said the issue would be taken up in Parliament. 

Sources suggest even Biren Singh is in favour of early dissolution of the state assembly. Otherwise polls are due in Manipur along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa in early 2027. 

For its part, the BJP central leadership is keen to improve the situation in Manipur and possibly also create an alternate face to Biren Singh as BJP's probable Chief Minister after 2027 polls. 

Biren Singh's supporters in Imphal these days talk about 'Mizoram and ZPM model' wherein the newly floated regional party could oust another state-based party the MNF from the corridors of power in Aizawl.  

Politically Manipur has the usual syndrome of 'sneezing' while Delhi faces cold but from time to time regional parties have also done well. 

Similarly, parties such as Janata Dal and even CPI have a solid support base in Manipur. 

In January 2025, this blogger met a group of  businesswomen in Imphal who had lost faith in the BJP and Biren Singh and said - "We would like CPI to do well".

Blogger with a CPI supporter businesswoman

In 2012 assembly polls even as Congress under veteran Ibobi Singh could form a government winning as many as 42 seats, regional player All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) of Mamata Banerjee could poll 237,517 votes and picked up seven seats.

Another state-based outfit Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) also polled 117,170 and won 5 seats. 

In 2017 polls as well regional parties picked up substantial number of seats and helped BJP form government even as the Congress with 28 seats in the 60-member assembly had emerged the single largest party. 

Congress had won 28 seats.

BJP - 21 

Naga People's Front (NPF) 4

National People's Party (NPP) of Conrad Sangma - 4

There were one Independent and one each from Trinamool Congress and 

LJP as well. 

ends