Okram Ibobi Singh at the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Imphal on Friday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Imphal, March 2: Okram Ibobi Singh was sworn in as the chief minister of Manipur for the second consecutive term here today. However, suspense prevails over whether he will reinstate his old team in the council of ministers as he took the oath of office and secrecy alone.

Governor S.S. Sidhu administered the oath to Ibobi Singh at a glittering function in Raj Bhavan’s banquet hall at 1.30 pm.

Union minister and AICC secretary in-charge of the Northeast Oscar Fernandez, MP Rishang Keishing and former chief ministers Radhabinod Koijam and Wahengbam Nipamacha Singh were present at the ceremony.

After the swearing-in, Ibobi Singh said he would “form his new ministry after Yaoshang (Holi). The exact date for the induction of ministers has not been fixed as yet.”

As Manipur celebrates Yaoshang for five days, the wait for the new team is likely to stretch at least that long.

Ibobi Singh is leaving for New Delhi tomorrow to finalise the list of ministers. The state Assembly has 60 members. Of this, the ruling coalition has 36 members with Congress sending 29 members to the House, the CPI four and the RJD three. The RJD is extending support unconditionally. The Secular Progressive Front (SPF) coalition, comprising the Congress and the CPI, is still in place. “The SPF coalition will continue. Inclusion of other parties in the front would be decided later on. Another party, the National Peoples Party, has also written formally to the Congress extending unconditional support,” Ibobi Singh disclosed.

The chief minister now faces the problem of constituting his new council of ministers. Six former cabinet ministers are putting pressure on him to re-induct them.

On the other hand, young turks like N. Loken Singh, N. Biren Singh, K. Ranjit Singh and K. Bijoy Singh, who now hold the posts of chairmen of corporations and boards, are sticking to their guns that “old faces” should not be brought in again.

“We have tested the old men. They have miserably failed to perform. Now is the time for the younger generation if we have to take the state forward,” one of them said.

Ibobi Singh is sacrificing only one seat for its junior partner, the CPI. “We will consider community, district and area representations while selecting the ministers,” he said.

Having completed his full five years in the first term — his was the first government in the state to do so — Ibobi Singh said his priority now would be to restore complete normality and communal harmony in the state.

Accelerating the pace of development is also high on his agenda.