Back to active politics : Man from Langthabal AC
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 21 2018 -
He is already in the winter of his life but it is more than apparent that he is not yet ready to throw in the towel.
O Joy Singh, the man better known as Opposition Joy, is still around and making his intent known to all was his announcement that he has now decided to return to active politics.
Time can only tell whether he still has it in him to return via the politics of election or whether he will concentrate on making the right political noises, but it is more than clear that no one can afford to ignore the man who was synonymous with Langthabal Assembly Constituency for decades.
It also stands that it was him, at times alone, who kept the flag of the MPP flying, while his political peers were more well known for switching from one political party to the other at the drop of the hat.
No wonder O Joy was synonymous with the MPP and this again is the reason why he was synonymous with the Opposition.
Apart from his then loyalty to the MPP, O Joy will also be known as the man who made the proceedings of the Assembly sessions more interesting, with his sharp mastery over the finer details of the Assembly and the trappings that come with being a legislator.
One can still remember how he made no distinction between the ruling and the Opposition bench, when he came out heavily against the ruling of the late Justice Surjamani, when he issued an order to have the then Chief Minister O Ibobi arrested, while the State Assembly was then in session.
It was his firm grasp of the details of the privilege of the House, that set the ball rolling in favour of O Ibobi and this is something which all will remember.
Now out of the Assembly since 2012, having beaten the dust twice at the hands of Karam Shyam, O Joy may be seen as a spent force but his very announcement that he is now back in the public sphere via active politics and one can only hope that he continues to hold the attention of the people with the issues he manage to bring up.
His short honeymoon with the BJP notwithstanding, O Joy will continue to be identified with the MPP and this is where it will become interesting to watch which party he decides to join.
Most probably the man from Langthabal Assembly Constituency will tie himself with a party of his choice before the Parliamentary elections in 2019.
This is what will make his re-entry into active politics more interesting.
It also remains to be seen whether he is a good vote catcher, with an appeal that goes beyond Langthabal Assembly Constituency.
Much will depend on how the political party he chooses to associate with utilises his service in the run up to the Parliamentary elections.
There are others too from his ‘time’, who will be interesting to watch in the run up to the Parliamentary elections and one name that comes up prominently is N Mangi from Kumbi Assembly Constituency, who for long was identified with the CPI, only to briefly join the BJP before resigning.
A known orator, it will be interesting to watch the two veterans in the run up to the Parliamentary elections and see if they can take the people along with their oratorial skills.
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