Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, the BJP’s sole Rajya Sabha MP from Manipur, has expressed confidence that a popular government could be reinstated in the state within the next two months. Speaking to reporters on May 11, he emphasized that President’s Rule alone cannot bring lasting solutions to the state’s ongoing ethnic conflict.
“I sincerely hope that within two months, Manipur will once again have an elected government. A popular government can engage with the people more effectively to address the crisis,” Leishemba said.
He acknowledged the deep dissatisfaction among the public with the current political leadership, noting that several elected representatives failed to respond to the crisis with unity and determination. “Some individuals placed personal interests above the well-being of the state, which led to the imposition of President’s Rule,” he added.
Currently, the 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly remains in suspended animation, despite its term running until 2027.
In recent developments, BJP’s North East in-charge Sambit Patra visited the violence-hit districts of Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. He held discussions with Kuki BJP MLAs Vungzagin Valte and Nemcha Kipgen—who served as the only woman minister in the previous BJP-led government under N. Biren Singh—as well as leaders from the Kuki-Zo community and civil society groups, including the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU).
Patra also conducted closed-door meetings in Imphal with former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, and other party leaders and MLAs to explore possibilities for political resolution and stability.
