Homegrown Kuki People Alliance opens account in Manipur with a 100 % strike rate

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The little-known KPA, founded by two retired bureaucrats, a practising doctor and a lawyer and recognised as a political party just two months back, was formed to represent the interests of the Kuki tribe in Manipur.

With the KPA contesting only two seats (Saikul in Kangpokpi district and Singhat in Churachandpur district), it is unlikely to have an impact on the results, but its victory is still a significant development in Manipur’s political landscape, where tribal aspirations play a major role.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Wilson L Hangshing, a retired IRS official and KPA co-founder, said that their win was “historic”. “This is the first time a Kuki party was in the fray, and we have won both seats. Our real battle starts now — whether we will be able to hold our own in the assembly,” said Hangshing, adding that they did not have time to contest more seats in the assembly elections because of a “lack of time.” “But we will go full throttle in the district council elections and make sure Kuki interests are heard and represented,” he added.

Distinct from the Meitei-dominated valley, the hills of Manipur are home to two major tribal groups – the Nagas and Kuki-Zomi-Paite tribes. The latter is primarily concentrated in Churachandpur districts, as well as Kongpokpi, Tengnoupal and Pherzawl, among others.

While in Singhat in Churachandpur district, the KPA fielded lawyer Chinlunthang, Saikul had the young Hangshing as its candidate, after she was denied a ticket by the BJP. The BJP had instead fielded Yamthong Haokip, a former Congress leader who is currently on the NIA radar after being accused in an arms robbery case. The wife of the self-styled chairman of the outlawed Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), Kimneo said her main focus was “safeguarding tribal rights”.

While the KPA’s main poll planks were what the state’s tribal communities have demanded for long (a repeal of the AFSPA, a push for the ‘Autonomous District Council Bill 2021’, as well as strengthening of Article 371-C, which safeguards the rights of the hills of Manipur), the other push for the party comes from insecurity about the Nagas.

The two hill tribes have had a strained relationship since the 1990s, which saw bloody clashes over imagined territorial homelands. The Kukis feel the Nagas have an upper hand as the Naga People’s Front (NPF) is an ally of the BJP government in the state.

Analysts say the KPA may eventually ally with the BJP, but its performance as a party, formed as recently as January, suggests that it is certainly something to take note of.