Interesting developments within NPP Questions on the third front

It is interesting and it may have an impact on the next Assembly elections slated for the early part of 2027. This is all that more so given that the Congress seems to be on the comeback trail, best exemplified by the excellent showing its two candidates put up in the 2024 Parliamentary elections. With a resurgent Congress and a BJP still groping to find its way out of the present situation many had started talking about the possibility of a third option, a party which can come in between the Big Two. And this is where many had set their eyes and focus on the NPP. However the fast development in the last 48 hours has yet again thrown open other possibilities. Obvious that the ‘ousted’ Yumnam Joy-kumar is not ready to take things lying down and has spoken his mind out and it remains to be seen how things develop in the coming days. It is not a question of whether newly appointed State NPP president Dr Lorho Pfoze will be able to inject new energy and life into the NPP, but about the impact the change of guards in the State NPP will have on the political situation in Manipur, especially in the days ahead of the next Assembly elections. More importantly will the new developments within the NPP create rooms for other political parties to emerge from the shadow, like the Trinamul Congress or the Shiv Sena the State of unit of which has been making news now and then ? How about the JD (U), a party which has just come back to power after the Bihar Assembly elections ? As stated, only time will tell, but the developments within the NPP will be watched by the keen political observers in the State, where many had come to view it as possibly the third alternative, a situation where a number of intending candidates have set their eyes on the winnable party on which ticket they intend to contest. The Big Two, the Congress and the BJP, may just be the parties for all intending candidates to queue up for but a good many will be left out. This is where the NPP comes in, with many even predicting that some intending candidates may just vie for its ticket given that the BJP is not in the good book of many and the Congress is a tried and tested party. The new development may however give a new twist to the situation. Early days yet and while Yumnam Joykumar has already spoken his mind out, it remains to be seen how Conrad Sangma and the Central leadership of the party respond but the new developments would not have missed the eyes and interests of the keen political observers.
It is just a coincidence, no doubt about it, but interesting that the new developments within the NPP should come at this point of time when a good number of IDPs and social organisations have come out strongly against the decision of the PR administration to go ahead with the Sangai Festival. Raj Bhavan is obviously the first, visible hand in the decision to go ahead with the Sangai Festival, but Manipur cannot be blind to the fact that it is actually New Delhi pulling the strings. And in the process it is not putting the BJP on any stronger wicket ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Still nearly two years away and public memory is obviously short, but this is something which will be reminded when the time comes and this where the timing of the development within the NPP will be questioned. Its possible emergence as a viable third front will slip away if the internal issues are not sorted out soon. And anything internal within a political party has the knack of coming out in full public view and the NPP is no exception. A situation which the other political parties will be more than willing to exploit to their advantage. But first thing first. What would be the position of Y Joykumar in the coming days ? How about the party organisation ? How about the NPP MLAs ? Will new president Dr Pfoze be able to smoothen things out and address the issue at hand ? Will Conrad Sangma feel the need to address some of the points raised by Joykumar ? All questions for which no answers may be forthcoming soon, but these are questions which will do the round in the next few days.