BJP’s Manipur election strategy stalls as violence and party infighting persist

Manipur is slated to vote early next year, yet the BJP’s preparation for the contest remains unfinished as the ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023 persists, with nearly 360 fatalities and 66,000 people displaced. After Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned in February 2025, President’s Rule was imposed and former assembly speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh was sworn in as chief minister alongside deputies Losii Dikho and Nemcha Kipgen.

Tensions between the Kuki-Zo and Naga factions have intensified, highlighted by a letter from Dikho and eight Naga legislators to Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing Kipgen of colluding with militants. The party’s state leadership, which recently appointed Assam legislator Rajdeep Roy as in-charge, has yet to present a concrete election strategy, leaving cadres uncertain. Officials hope the central government will implement relief and rehabilitation measures to calm the situation, while opposition parties, especially the Congress, criticize the BJP’s handling of the crisis and demand fresh elections.