The Nongsaba phenomenon
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: April 25, 2024 -

LET'S be honest and admit this fact.

With the attention of everyone riveted on the age-old rivalry between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Congress (INC), even the media have not given much coverage to the rest of candidates in fray for the 18th Lok Sabha election in Manipur.

Apart from the candidates of the two national political parties, not many people know about the electioneering campaigns of other candidates, who are also in contest for the seat of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, which went to the polls in the first phase on April 19 with repoll done in 11 violence-marred polling stations on April 22

. The same could be said about the candidates in the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency even though BJP has not fielded its own candidate and decided to extend support to the candidate of Naga People's Front (NPF), which is a partner in its National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The polling in some assembly segments of the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency had already been conducted in the first phase and the remaining would go to the polls on April 26.

But with barely 24 hours left for the D-day and dispersal of polling personnel to their respective destinations already commenced, media coverage has been all about the candidates of the BJP ally NPF and INC as if other candidates in fray do not exist.

Just as media coverage of the election in Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency was all about the never-ending rivalry and political diatribes between the candidates fielded by the ruling party, BJP and the opposition party, INC; electoral contest for the seat in Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency has been portrayed as a political battlefield laid out solely for the BJP-backed NPF candidate and the INC candidate with other candidates in fray for the same seat out of the equation, which is rather disheartening.

Of course, media cannot be blamed entirely for this lop-sided coverage. When the people themselves are more than eager to know about the main contenders only, media is only reflecting what is happening around us.

Having said that it is heartening to know that social media has played an important role in giving a fillip to the near-total, if not complete blank out, of the candidates of a lesser god or gods (read political party or parties, whichever one fancies) by traditional media in its coverage.

In fact, if not for the power and reach of social media, people in Manipur might have missed the birth of a new electoral phenomenon called Moirangthem Totomshana Nongsaba in the election this time.

Nongsaba is in fray as an independent candidate for the seat of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.

However, this is not the first time that the man from Heirok has tried his luck in electoral politics with the objective of undoing many of the wrongs in the society including denial of his Constitutional right as a citizen of the country to contest election from his home Parliamentary Constituency although he has been given the right to exercise franchise.

He may taste defeat in the election this time as well. But the impression of his humility he would be leaving behind in the mind of people is something that would be hard for any politician to replicate.

He might not fit the image of a politician one usually conjures up in their mind when we talk about politics, but his love for the state and its people is hard to question.

He might not exhibit the sophistication seen in the candidates put up by the BJP and the INC, but his down to earth nature with no pretention of any sort has endeared the people and won their hearts.

When election in India is becoming all about flexing muscle and money power, has anyone seen people coming to give money to candidates in election?

Obviously not It is true that Nongsaba needs to exercise restraints from making sensitive statements that might rub up "the man in power" the wrong way; but who, in the political history of Manipur would be ever able to boast of entire people of his village standing up for him when police came with a warrant of arrest?

We can think of none from the present lot of politicians in Manipur, who could be best described as self-seekers, nothing more or nothing less.