Kuki-Zo Council refuses to take part in Manipur Govt formation

In the previous BJP-led government of N Biren Singh, there were 10 Kuki MLAs. Now with Kukis refusing to even live with Meiteis, it will be a challenge for the BJP to try and form a government there.

The President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13, 2025, following prolonged ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hill-based Kuki-Zo groups. Since May 2023, the conflict has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced thousands across the state.

In a statement, the KZC said that its governing council, comprising of all constituent bodies, held a general meeting in Churachandpur to review the prevailing political, social and security situation in Manipur.

After discussions, the council unanimously resolved that, given the current ground realities and the collective sentiment that the Kuki-Zo people could no longer coexist with the Meitei community, the demand for a separate administration must be reaffirmed.

The KZC reiterated that this demand was for the creation of a UT under the Constitution of India. It further stated that the Kuki-Zo people would not take part in the formation of the Manipur Government. “If any individual from the community chooses to participate in such a process, it would be strictly in a personal capacity, and the Kuki-Zo Council will not be held responsible or accountable in any manner,” it cautioned.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex traditional and customary body representing the Kuki people, has formally endorsed the resolution adopted by the KZC demanding separate administration and rejecting participation in the formation or functioning of the Manipur Government under the current circumstances.

The KIM said it fully backs the resolution passed during the KZC governing council general meeting on December 30, 2025, which was subsequently reaffirmed by the KZC cabinet. The organisation described the resolution as a reflection of the collective will, democratic aspirations, and lived realities of the Kuki-Zo people.

According to KIM, the prevailing political, social and security environment in Manipur had rendered coexistence under the existing administrative framework untenable. The body asserted that any attempt to normalise governance without addressing the underlying issues faced by the Kuki-Zo community would be deeply flawed and disconnected from ground realities.

The KIM categorically stated that no Kuki-Zo individual or legislator, irrespective of political affiliation, should participate in, support, or legitimise the formation of the Manipur Government. Such actions, it warned, would run contrary to the clearly expressed collective mandate of the Kuki-Zo people and the unified position of their representative institutions.

These developments have come amid efforts by the BJP lawmakers in recent weeks to initiate the process of forming a government in the state, where Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in 2027.