Imphal, Jan 01: Once a football player, a BSF jawan deployed at Manipur borders, and a journalist, Nongthombam Biren Singh was picked as the chief minister of Manipur for the second time on 20th March 2022.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MANIPUR CHIEF MINISTER N. BIREN SINGH
Singh’s journey from a footballer to CM
Biren Singh, who has a BA degree from Manipur University, started his career as a footballer. He was recruited by the Border Security Force (BSF), where he played for its team in domestic competitions. He also participated in the Durand Cup tournament.
However, he soon metamorphosed into a journalist to become editor of a vernacular daily ‘Naharolgi Thoudang’. He worked as the editor of the newspaper till 2001.
The move into journalism soon saw him foray into the world of politics around two decades ago as an MLA from the Democratic Revolutionary People’s Party.
N Biren Singh was born on January 1, 1961, in Imphal.
Biren entered politics in 2002 and joined the Democratic Revolutionary Peoples Party. He contested Assembly elections and won the Heingang seat in Manipur. He was appointed Manipur’s minister of the state of vigilance in 2003. He was given the additional portfolio of forest and environment ministers.
He later joined the Indian National Congress and retained the seat in the 2007 Assembly elections. Biren was then made Manipur’s minister of irrigation and flood control and youth affairs & sports and consumer affairs & public distribution (CAF&PD).
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The Manipur CM retained the constituency in the 2012 Assembly elections, for the third consecutive term. In September 2016, he resigned from the Manipur Legislative Assembly after revolting against Okram Ibobi Singh, the then-chief minister of the state.
Biren joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in October 2016. In 2017, he contested Assembly elections from the Heingang seat and won, retaining the seat for the fourth consecutive term.
He was sworn in as the chief minister of Manipur on March 15, 2017, becoming the first-ever BJP leader to become CM in the state.
Ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections in Manipur, the CM said that he himself wants the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to be repealed. It’s worth noting that Biren has won from his home constituency – Heingang in East Imphal district, Manipur, with more than 18,000 votes, defeating the Indian National Congress (INC) rival – P Sharatchandra Singh.
