After Govindas who else? The trending poser
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 05, 2021 -

All in the realm of speculation but this question is trending now, 'How many more Congress MLAs will follow Govindas Konthoujam to join the BJP?'.

More interesting is the question of how the entry of heavyweights from the Congress can rock the internal set ups of the BJP here in Manipur and how it can or will impact on the power equation within the saffron party in the State.

And these questions are not without reason.

The impact of the exit of a political heavy weight like Govindas on the Congress and what it can portend for the coming Assembly elections are hot topics in any political discussion at the moment, but the more interesting point would be to study how the entry of a seasoned political figure like Govindas can impact on the BJP.

Was his entry to the saffron party welcomed by all the BJP leaders in the State?

This is an important question and this is precisely the point that the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee sought to convey when it claimed that it would not be possible for 'two/three tigers' to share the same water hole!

How far this prognosis will hold water is something only time will tell, but it is extremely important for all to note that Govindas did not announce his entry to the saffron party at Imphal but at New Delhi in the presence of Central BJP leaders such as JP Nadda.

Already the man from Bishnupur Assembly Constituency has delivered an important message and that is, his entry to the BJP was effected at the highest level possible and this is a point which would not have missed the other BJP leaders here at Imphal.

Moreover it should also be noted that it was to announce his entry to the. BJP, that Chief Minister N Biren arid State BJP president Sharda Devi were summoned to Delhi.

The ambition of Govindas. This is what would be interesting to watch, if the BJP returns to power after the next Assembly elections.

The internal tussle in the power hierarchy of the State BJP must still be fresh in the minds of everyone and the entry of the man from Bishnupur Assembly Constituency can surely give rise to a new equation which may become more clear in the days to come and this is what everyone would be watching with interest.

Coming back to the earlier question of how many are likely to follow Govindas from the Congress to the BJP, only time can tell, but already the Congress is beginning to look more and more like the proverbial sinking ship with almost everyone abandoning it.

Defection, party hopping and changing one's political colour at the drop of the hat is not something new here, and this is where it becomes significant to note that the party in power may change but the people who have been at the helm are very much the same.

The more Congress MLAs the BJP admits into its rank and file, the more it will look like a party of ex-Congressmen.

Ultimately this may mean that for the people there is nothing new in the coming of a new party to power, for ultimately the people who will be calling the shots are invariably the same though they may now come under a different garb.

This is a point which many would not find amusing at all.