Manipur was placed under President’s Rule today following Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s resignation and the BJP’s failure to agree on a successor. The northeastern state, rocked by violence for nearly two years, is now facing a constitutional crisis.

Biren Singh resigned on Sunday following a meeting with the BJP’s central leadership in Delhi, stepping down ahead of a no-confidence motion by the Congress. However, the BJP has struggled to finalize a new Chief Minister. Despite discussions led by the party’s northeast in-charge, Sambit Patra, no consensus was reached among MLAs. The party was hoping to resolve the leadership crisis after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s return from his US visit, but with no breakthrough, the situation remained deadlocked.

The leadership uncertainty also clashed with a constitutional deadline.As per Article 174(1) of the Constitution, a state assembly must meet at least once every six months. In Manipur’s case, the last assembly session was held on August 12, 2024. A budget session was expected to begin on Monday, but it had to be postponed indefinitely after the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers stepped down.

With the deadline to reconvene the assembly expiring today and no new government in place, the Centre was left with no choice but to impose President’s Rule.

This marks the 11th time since 1951 that President’s Rule has been imposed in Manipur. A statement from President Droupadi Murmu’s office confirmed the decision, citing a report from Governor Ajay Bhalla, which stated that the state government could no longer function as per constitutional provisions.

Now as to why N Biren Singh Resigned? One of the main catalysts for his resignation was Congress's relentless scrutiny in exposing and criticizing every alleged misstep of former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, leaving him increasingly cornered. Given the mounting pressure, his resignation on Sunday was hardly surprising.

Manipur has been in turmoil since ethnic violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023, leaving over 200 dead and the state in crisis. The prolonged unrest led to fierce political battles, with Congress repeatedly accusing both the state and central governments of failing to restore order. The party consistently demanded Singh’s resignation, intensifying its attacks as the situation worsened.

In November, the Conrad Sangma-led National People's Party (NPP), which had seven MLAs, withdrew support from the BJP-led government. Despite the BJP holding a majority in the 60-member assembly, internal cracks widened, with 12 party MLAs pushing for a leadership change.

Singh faced direct criticism after leaked audio tapes, allegedly featuring his voice, surfaced. Congress claimed the tapes proved he had instigated the violence. A forensic lab confirmed a 93% voice match, and the Supreme Court has since sought a report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory.

Therefore Singh’s resignation marked a setback for the BJP and a political win for Congress, which had long called for his removal. "Finally, what the Congress has been demanding for almost 20 months has happened," senior leader Jairam Ramesh posted.

Rahul Gandhi also criticized the BJP, calling President’s Rule a "belated admission" of their failure to govern Manipur. Congress also blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of mismanaging the crisis despite being personally entrusted with handling Manipur by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.