The Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) hopes to do what its predecessor, the Kuki National Assembly, could not six decades ago — unite the non-Naga tribes of Manipur as a major political force.
Formed a few months ago by a group of professionals and intellectuals, the KPA was recognised by the Election Commission in January. It did not get adequate time to field more than two candidates, the party’s vice-president Chinkholal Thangsing said.
The two candidates are Kimneo Haokip Hangshing from the Saikul constituency and Chinlunthang from the Singhat seat bordering Myanmar. Saikul is about 35 km north of Imphal.
“Ours is a broad-based party representing the different Kuki tribes and clans. This election is the start of our journey towards the goal of protecting our land and culture and asserting our rights, identity and nationalism,” Mr. Thangsing said.
The KPA prefers to go by the British definition of Kuki that includes the Zomi and the Hmar communities. Of the 36 recognised tribes of Manipur, 12 are now clubbed as Kuki-Zomi and 24 are Nagas.
The Kuki-Zomi communities are a majority in nine of the 20 constituencies straddling the hills of Manipur. Nine are dominated by the Nagas, while two are almost equally populated by the two tribal groups.
The KPA agreed that the contest would be tough against the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party that had won five and four seats respectively across the Kuki-Zomi domain in 2017. The National People’s Party (NPP) had won one.
The NPP had accused the BJP of using extremist groups in the Kuki-Zomi areas to prevent its candidate from filing nominations or campaigning. These groups, under an agreement for suspension of operations, are divided between two umbrella organisations — the Kuki National Front and the Zomi Revolutionary Organisation.
