Manipur 2022: In a game of musical chairs, NPP might emerge as the DJ

If you think you are an expert at connecting political leaders to their political parties, come to Manipur. Over the past five years, such has been the state of political affairs in this state of 3 million people (10% of the state of Assam) that compiling the list of all jumps would make for an interesting book.

Last week, a journalist at the Imphal Press Club recalled: “Our interview was ready. This guy spoke only against the BJP…he had little else to tell except how bad the BJP had been. We finished the interview late at night, so thought we would run it the next day. However, the next morning, the leader’s right hand called and said please do not run the interview, the leader has joined the BJP. I lost such a good story!” “Worry not, someone else will jump soon,” another journalist quipped. 

One journalist, for example, pointed out that social media had been full of posts showing former Congress president and now BJP leader Govindas Kanthoujam bad-mouthing current CM N Biren Singh.