Shillong, Sept 16: Former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Manipur and senior Naga leader from the hills, Dr Lorho S Pfoze, today joined the National Peoples Party with national president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma welcoming him into the party fold and hailing the NPP as the party that is identified with the people of the North East.
Dr Pfozo was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2019 general elections as a candidate of the Naga Peoples Front from the Outer Manipur constituency- a vast hilly region that is dominated by the Naga and Kuki tribes. He was succeeded by Alfred Kan-Ngam Arthur of the Congress in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
Welcoming him into the party at the NPP headquarters in Shillong, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma acknowledged Dr. Lorho’s experience in public life saying his entry into the NPP would further strengthen the party in championing the cause of the North East and its people.
“In the face of multiple challenges, the NPP has been able to reach out to every corner of the region. The party has built trust and is viewed as the actual platform where the people of the North East can come together and raise their voice, which can be heard, said Sangma.
“Dr. Lorho brings to the party vast experience, wisdom, and support base from the State of Manipur. We are confident that Dr. Lorho will be an asset to the party and will work closely to further NPP’s mantra of One Voice, One North East,” the NPP chief said.
He also termed the tribal leader as someone who is widely recognized and accepted by different communities in Manipur. “He is a very soft-spoken, honest, and transparent politician. He is passionate about working for the entire region and is keen to be the voice of our people from the North East,” said the chief minister.
Speaking at length on NPP as a platform for the North East, NPP chief Conrad K. Sangma said, “Our late leader Purno Agitok Sangma desired that NPP fill the vacuum as a platform to voice the aspirations of the people of the North East, and with this very intention the party was formed. Today, the party has expanded across the entire North East region, and people and communities from all sections are joining the party. This is truly a moment for NPP to celebrate and work together to be the strong voice that raises our people’s concerns unitedly.”
Speaking at the function, Dr. Lorho expressed his gratitude to the party leadership and stated that NPP should become the party for everyone in the North East, the indigenous people, and all the tribal communities.
“We, as indigenous communities, should work together in the region. The vision of late Purno Agitok Sangma is an inspiration for us all. His views were to reach out to all communities in this great nation. I look forward to working with this party. We will reach out to many communities and be as inclusive as possible, always abiding by truth and honesty.”
The ceremony was attended by NPP National Working President James K. Sangma, State President of Meghalaya and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, senior members of the party, ministers from Meghalaya, MLAs from Manipur, State Working President Sheikh Noorul Hassan, and Panmei Janghemlung.
Why Manipur matters to the NPP
The NPP has had a foothold in Manipur since the time it was founded by Late P A Sangma.
Having a dominant presence in Manipur for long, the party is seriously eyeing an expansion and the political atmosphere appears to be conducive for it given that the ruling BJP in that state has taken a serious beating from the public for failing to curb the ethnic violence that plagued the state for well over two years. The party first won 4 seats in the 2017 assembly elections and got the deputy chief ministers position for its leader Y Joykumar Singh. It went solo in the 2022 elections and increased its vote share managing to win 6 seats.
But the BJP under Chief Minister N Biren Singh won a clear majority in the last assembly elections and refused to share power with the NPP which was its ally in the previous government. That momentum was quickly lost when violence broke out on May 3rd 2023 between the Meiteis, who live in the plains of Imphal, and the Kukis, who reside in the hills. The violence brought the saffron party to its knees as it failed to contain the violence, at times even accused of turning a blind eye to the raging fires that had engulfed the state.
In 2024 parliamentary elections the Meiteis in Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat (Imphal) turned against the Biren Singh government, while the Kukis united with other tribes to oust the BJP from the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat. The BJP lost both the seats to arch rival Congress, sending shock waves across the national party that had hoped to make a dramatic comeback. It ultimately led to Biren Singh and his government being ousted by the centre and President Rule being imposed in the state, till date.
