Manipur : Former Footballer-Turned-Journalist N. Biren Singh takes oath as Chief Minister of Manipur for the second time
Imphal : Nongthombam Biren Singh on Monday took oath as the Chief Minister of Manipur for the second time in a row, a day after he was named as the leader of the newly-elected BJP MLAs in the state.
In a function at Raj Bhavan in Imphal, Governor L.A. Ganesan administered the oath of office to Singh. Besides the Chief Minister, five newly elected MLAs of the BJP and its ally Naga People’s Front (NPF) also took oath. The five ministers are Thongam Biswajit Singh of the BJP, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Govinddas Konthoujam, Nemcha Kipgen and Awangbo Numai of the NPF.
Former Minister Nemcha Kipgen Biren Singh is the only woman minister in the council of ministers. However, the Council of Ministers is likely to be expanded later, as the posts of six ministers are vacant. In the swearing-in ceremony, BJP President J. P. Nadda, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his Tripura counterpart Biplab Kumar Deb and several top dignitaries were present. In the February-March elections, the results of which were announced on March 10, the BJP secured a majority in the 60-member Assembly with 32 MLAs.
The 61-year-old Singh, a former footballer-turned-journalist and then politician, was earlier in the Congress. He joined the BJP in October 2016 and reached the assembly by winning from his traditional Hingang constituency for a record 5th time in the February-March assembly elections.
