Chief minister of India's Manipur resigns after ethnic violence

10/2/2025 6:11

Chief Minister of India's Manipur N. Biren Singh resigned on Sunday, almost two years after deadly ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state.

Singh, a member of India's main ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, tendered his resignation to the governor of Manipur.

Insiders say he resigned from his post to quell dissidence within his party and to avert the possibility of a no-confidence motion against him by the Congress-led opposition in the state assembly.

The legislative assembly session was scheduled to begin in Manipur on Monday.

Manipur has been on edge since May 3, 2023, when large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meitei community for a scheduled tribe status -- designated for disadvantaged socio-economic groups which gives them reservations in education and government jobs.

The ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority have displaced over 60,000.