Manipur People's Party(MPP)

In the history of the Indian National Congress, a lot many splinter-groups separated from the party owing to one reason or another. The Manipur People's Party (MPP) was one of the many factions to have separated from the INC. The MPP was the oldest regional party in the north-eastern state of Manipur in India. On 26th December 1968, a group of leaders from the Indian National Congress rebelled against the party, protesting against the policies and activities of the Congress regime in the Centre. In the same month, this group of dissidents who broke out of the INC, met at Delhi and marked a historic day in the political life of the country, by forming the new party under the name Manipur People's Party. Its political position was centre-right with a regionalist political ideology. The party brought in a number of political reversals to the state of Manipur, by aiming to protect the territorial integrity of the state, by its war-cry of regionalism, and braving all odds from other political parties. The primary political slogan of the MPP was in upholding the identity and ethnicity of Manipuris, who were being threatened with the massive influx of ‘outsiders'. In the 2007 Assembly elections in Manipur, the MPP bagged 5 out of the 60 Assembly constituencies in Manipur. However its significance soon declined and in the 2009 general elections, the MPP lost the one seat which it contested. The MPP went into an alliance with the BJP in Manipur, to strengthen the non-Congress ally in the state.

The Manipur People's Party, which ruled the state for two terms, was derecognized as a regional party in March 2013. This decision was arrived at by the Election Commission, as the MPP did not managed to win a single seat either in the Manipur Assembly elections in 2012 or the Lok Sabha elections in 2009.

Election Symbol of the MPP

The Election Symbol of the Manipur People's Party, when it was in existence, was the “Bicycle”. When the party was derecognized of its status as a regional political party, the election symbol was also frozen by the Election Commission. The ‘Bicycle' as an election symbol used by the MPP was very significant. The bicycle is a two-wheeled simple vehicle, which can be used to cover short as well as long distances. In other words, it is a simple, pocket-friendly vehicle which can fit into the requirements of all sections of the society. The MPP represented the simple yet determined party agendas through the representation of this symbol. Its dedicated efforts to save the ethnic races in Manipur, by upholding the ideologies of regionalism, found instant support of the common man in Manipur. The MPP fought through slow yet steady progress, which found easy reciprocation throughout the state. Thus the Election Symbol of the Manipur People's Party was famous as it symbolized what the party stood for, when it existed.

Leaders of the MPP

The leaders of the Manipur People's Party, who were also the national executives of the party, are listed below:

• Dr. Leishangthem Chandramani Singh, Chief Advisor of MPP
  Dr. Chandramani Singh is the former Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur. As a member of the MPP, represented the Patsoi (Imphal West) constituency in the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
• Laishram Jatra Singh, President of MPP
  Laishram remained the senior most Vice-President of the Manipur People's Party, before he was elected the President of the party in December 2012. Jatra Singh remained a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Manipur, for the two terms when MPP was in power in the state. He represented the Songbook constituency.
• Thounoujam Chaoba, National Spokesperson of MPP
  Chaoba remained a former Union Minister as well as a prominent leader in the MPP.

Achievements of the MPP

As a regional political party, the Manipur People's Party had a number of significant achievements when in existence. Some of these are listed below:

• The MPP launched extensive campaigns in the state, to protest against the blatant corruption of the Congress-led Secular Progressive Front (SPF) in Manipur. The MPP President along with the other leaders of the party, wrote a memorandum to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to allege that the Congress initiated no development in Manipur, as it solely concentrated on the selfish corrupt needs of the Congressmen. The MPP held many protests and demonstrations to that effect, and on one instance in the year 2011, demanded that President's rule be imposed on the state.
• The MPP in alliance with the BJP, aimed to achieve political and administrative stability in the state of Manipur, by consistently fighting against an overall non-Congress agenda. The MPP asserted that a stable government in the state was primarily needed to meet the demands of the people of Manipur.
• The MPP had a number of frontal organizations under its banner, foremost among them being the Sugnu Kendra Youth Front, the youth cell of the party. The SKYF has had a number of achievements so far as it carried out protests and demanded for a stable and just political life for the youth in Manipur.

Address and Contact Details

The Head-Office of the Manipur People's Party is in Imphal. Address: People's Road, Imphal-795001