The BJP's chief ministerial candidate Nongthombam Biren Singh was a national- level footballer turned journalist. Soon, he turned to politics, joining the regional Democratic Revolutionary People’s Party in 2002. He was elected to the Manipur Legislative Assembly from Heingang constituency. The party later merged with Congress before the 2004 Assembly elections.
In 2003, he was appointed as Minister of State for Vigilance and later became Minister of Irrigation & Flood Control and Youth Affairs & Sports. He retained his Assembly seat in both 2007 and 2012. However, his relationship with the then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh fell apart after he was excluded from the Cabinet in 2012. He was the vice-president of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee then.
Mr. Singh left Congress and joined BJP in October 2016. In May 2016, BJP won the Assembly election in Assam.
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