IMPHAL: It has been four days since N Biren Singh resigned as Manipur's chief minister, but the state’s political future remains unclear. The ruling BJP has not yet chosen a new leader.
Meanwhile, state forest minister Th. Bishwajit left Imphal for Guwahati on Wednesday evening. The reason for his visit has not been officially announced.
BJP's northeast in-charge, Sambit Patra, has been holding discussions with party leaders, but no decision has been made. Some lawmakers believe the final call will come from the central leadership in Delhi.
Over the past two days, Patra has met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla twice. On Tuesday, he had discussions with Bhalla along with state BJP president A Sharda Devi. He met the governor again on Wednesday.
Patra also held meetings with BJP MLAs, including consumer affairs minister L Susindro and MLA Karam Shyam, to discuss the situation.
Speaking to reporters, Karam Shyam said there is no constitutional crisis despite Biren Singh stepping down. He believes the Centre will soon resolve the issue with the help of the legislators. When asked about the deadline for holding an assembly session, he simply replied, "Let's see what happens." When questioned about the next chief minister, he laughed and refused to comment.
Congress MLA Thokchom Lokeshwar questioned why Patra had come to Manipur. He said Patra should have led efforts to appoint a new chief minister. Instead, Lokeshwar accused him of avoiding an assembly session and ignoring the state’s problems.
Political experts warn that if no leader steps up to form a government soon, Manipur could face a constitutional crisis. If the deadlock continues, the state may come under President’s rule.
The Governor has already canceled the upcoming session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, which was supposed to begin on February 10. The last session of the assembly took place on August 12, 2024.