ExplainedManipur election
Manipur election 2027: the first vote since the violence, explained
Manipur votes in early 2027 after three years of ethnic conflict, a year of President's rule and a new government. What happened to the assembly elected in 2022, where the Kuki-Zo MLAs stand, and how a state with thousands still in relief camps will vote.
The short answer
Manipur's 60-member assembly, which needs 31 for a majority, is due for election in early 2027; its term ends in March. In 2022 the BJP won 32 seats on its own. Ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities from May 3, 2023, has killed at least 306 people. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned on February 9, 2025, President's rule was imposed on February 13, 2025, and it was revoked on February 4, 2026, when Y. Khemchand Singh became Chief Minister. The 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, seven of them from the BJP, back a demand for a separate administration, which the Centre has rejected. The census has been deferred in Manipur.
Manipur goes to the polls in early 2027 for the first time since ethnic violence tore the state apart in May 2023. The assembly elected in 2022 has lived through the conflict, the resignation of its Chief Minister, almost a year of President’s rule and the formation of a new government. Its five-year term ends in March 2027, and the Election Commission’s officials have already begun visiting the state to prepare for the vote.
How did Manipur vote in 2022?
The BJP won a majority on its own for the first time. It took 32 of the 60 seats with 37.84% of the vote. The National People’s Party won 7, the Janata Dal (United) 6, the Congress 5 with 16.84% of the vote, the Naga People’s Front 5, independents 3 and the Kuki People’s Alliance 2. N. Biren Singh returned as Chief Minister.
What happened after the violence began?
The government fell and the Centre took over. Violence broke out on May 3, 2023, between the Meitei community of the Imphal valley and the Kuki-Zo community of the hills. It has killed at least 306 people; 49 are still missing and thousands remain homeless. More recently, clashes between Kuki and Naga groups have also been reported.
Biren Singh’s government resigned on February 9, 2025, and President’s rule was imposed on February 13, 2025, with the assembly kept in suspended animation rather than dissolved. It was revoked on February 4, 2026, and Y. Khemchand Singh was sworn in that evening as Chief Minister of a BJP-led NDA government, with the Kuki-Zo legislator Nemcha Kipgen as Deputy Chief Minister.
Manipur, 2022 to 2027
- Mar 10, 2022BJP wins 32 of 60 seats.
- May 3, 2023Ethnic violence breaks out between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
- Feb 9, 2025Biren Singh's government resigns.
- Feb 13, 2025President's rule imposed; assembly in suspended animation.
- Jan 13, 2026Kuki-Zo MLAs and groups demand a settlement before the 2027 polls.
- Feb 4, 2026President's rule revoked; Y. Khemchand Singh sworn in.
- Sep 2, 2026Two Kuki-Zo MLAs attend the assembly in Imphal in person for the first time since 2023.
- Mar 2027Assembly's term ends; election due.
Where do the Kuki-Zo MLAs stand?
They want a separate administration, and the Centre has said no. The Kuki-Zo community holds 10 of the 60 assembly seats; seven of those MLAs belong to the BJP. Since 2023, Kuki-Zo groups have sought a separate administration for tribal areas equal to a Union Territory with its own legislature. The Centre, the BJP and Meitei organisations have repeatedly rejected the demand.
At a meeting in Guwahati on January 13, 2026, Kuki-Zo MLAs, the Kuki-Zo Council and groups under the Suspension of Operations agreement resolved that their political issues should be settled before the 2027 assembly election. On September 2, 2026, two Kuki-Zo MLAs attended the assembly in Imphal in person for the first time in more than three years, despite a directive from the Kuki Inpi Manipur not to travel there.
This is a good sign from the people’s representatives, and it is a welcome step.
How will people in relief camps vote?
Probably at special polling stations, as in 2024. For the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer identified more than 24,500 displaced people as eligible voters and set up 94 special polling stations for them, out of 2,955 polling stations in the state, about half of which were rated sensitive, vulnerable or critical. Opposition leaders say about 24,000 people are still in relief camps. The arrangements for 2027 have not yet been announced.
Manipur's numbers
- 60assembly seats; 31 for a majority
- 10seats held by Kuki-Zo MLAs, seven of them BJP
- 306+people killed since May 2023
- 94special polling stations for displaced voters in 2024
Why is the census not happening in Manipur?
It has been deferred. Four of the five poll-bound states, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand, have had their census count moved forward to December 2026 and January 2027 so that it finishes before the elections. Manipur is not among them. Chief Minister Khemchand Singh told a gathering in Imphal on October 17, 2026, that the census had been deferred in the state, after public concern over updating the National Register of Citizens first was conveyed to the Centre. No new timetable has been given.
What are the parties saying?
The BJP is campaigning on peace and development; the opposition on accountability. Khemchand Singh has said peace is the only way for Manipur to share in India’s growth. The Congress says the state is still burning: Congress MP and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has asked why the report of the judicial commission of inquiry into the violence has been delayed, and Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal has said the party expects to win a majority in Manipur.
What will decide the result?
Whether normal campaigning is possible across the valley and the hills. In 2022 the BJP won a majority on its own. This time the Kuki-Zo demand, the Kuki-Naga clashes and the presence of thousands of displaced voters mean the vote is also a test of whether the state’s political system can bring both communities back to the same ballot.