National Peoples’ Party (NPP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar was so sure that his party would bag more than 20 seats in the 12th Manipur Assembly elections and instead of playing kingmaker this time he said he would be the king or chief minister. He was even welcoming with open arms intending candidates rejected by the BJP. There is no surprise here, as he had himself switched over to NPP when he was denied the BJP ticket in the 2017 assembly elections. Looking back, one did wonder whether the NPP was BJP’s ally or not.
Although the Congress was the single largest party having won 28 seats in a house of 60 in the 2017 elections, BJP was so desperate to form the new government that it had to bow down to the demands of NPP. It got away with the post of Deputy CM and ministership for its three other MLAs along with plump portfolios. BJP had to contend with only five ministers, including the chief minister. All through the term, BJP had an uneasy relationship with its ally NPP. There was an occasion when the chief minister had to clip the wings of his deputy Y Joykumar by taking away major portfolios including Finance from him. In another instance just before the Rajya Sabha elections, NPP switched sides and aligned itself with the opposition Congress. However, Chief Minister N Biren Singh with his political adroitness managed a win for the BJP candidate Maharaj Leishemba Sanajaoba in the Rajya Sabha. Later, when NPP came back to the alliance two of its ministers were axed.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, NPP foisted its own candidate Thangminlien Kipgen in Outer Manipur constituency, while supporting the CPI candidate M Nara in the Inner Manipur constituency. Just before the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections, the four NPP MLAs withdrew their support from the coalition government and extended their support to the Congress candidate, leading to a high voltage political drama which the Chief Minister N Biren Singh ultimately won with his ingenuity. Only after direct intervention of Conrad Sangma and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma, and shuttling back and forth from Imphal to Delhi, did they come back to the ruling coalition.
But, this time also NPP managed to extract their pound of flesh yet again, much to the disappointment of MLAs aspiring for ministerial berths. In the 2020 assembly by-elections also, NPP fielded its own candidate in Wangoi constituency who lost to the Congress turncoat and BJP candidate Oinam Lukhoi by a narrow margin. Although NPP managed to win seven seats in the just concluded assembly elections, an increase of three from last elections, two of its tall leaders former Deputy CM Y Joykumar and former Health Minister L Jayantakumar were defeated. BJP had successfully poached one of its ministers Letpao Haokip who left Chandel constituency and contested from neighbouring Tengnoupal assembly constituency and won. However, the caretaker CM N Biren Singh had ruled out the NPP from any alliance in this term. With BJP getting 32 out of 60 seats, it has the luxury of choosing any ally to its side. Well, the NPF and JDU besides KPA and an independent had announced support for the new BJP dispensation. So, NPP or Conrad Sangma should forget about any feelers from BJP this time.
