Imphal - Amidst the ongoing eruption of fresh violence resulting from ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur, a concurrent political crisis has struck the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in the state, further weakening the position of the N Biren Singh government.

The Kuki People's Alliance (KPA), a political party backed by the Kuki community and boasting two Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) within the current government, has chosen to withdraw its support from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) alliance in the state. This development compounds the challenges facing the Biren Singh government.

The KPA's decision to withdraw support was communicated via an email, with the two KPA MLAs formally conveying their withdrawal of support in a letter addressed to Governor Anusuiya Uikey. This move presents a significant potential threat to Chief Minister Biren Singh's government, which has already been grappling with criticism and backlash due to the ongoing violence within Manipur. Tongmang Haokip, the Chief of KPA, articulated the decision in the letter, stating, "After careful consideration of the current conflagration, the continued support for the incumbent government of Manipur led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh is no longer fructuous. Accordingly, the support of the KPA to the Government of Manipur is hereby withdrawn and can be considered null and void."

The Manipur Legislative Assembly comprises 60 seats, with KPA holding 2 and the ruling BJP commanding 32. Additional support for the BJP government comes from 5 MLAs of the Naga People's Front (NPF), 7 from the National People's Party (NPP), 6 from the JDU, and two Independents. Notably, within the BJP ranks, several MLAs have advocated for the establishment of a separate administration for districts with a significant Kuki population. This proposal suggests a division of Manipur into three distinct Union Territories as a means to quell the ongoing conflict.

The violent clashes in Manipur, which initiated on May 3, show no signs of abating. Recently, fresh violence erupted in the Bishnupur district, resulting in the loss of six lives and pushing the overall death toll from the ethnic violence to over 180.

In response to the escalating situation, heightened deployment of security personnel has occurred in Imphal to manage the violence. Prior to this, the Central government had dispatched over 40,000 army and security forces personnel to Manipur in an attempt to quell the ethnic clashes.