Newsmaker: At the helm of Manipur Congress post poll rout, K Meghachandra braces for uphill task

As part of the Congress’s revamp in Manipur in the wake of its decimation in the state Assembly elections, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president, Sonia Gandhi, reconstituted the Manipur party unit Wednesday, appointing Keisham Meghachandra as its new president.

Manipur is the first state where the Congress unit has been restructured after the party’s debacle in the recent Assembly elections in five states.

Keisham Meghachandra has replaced Loken Singh as the MPCC president. Close on the heels of the poll outcome, Gandhi had asked the state party chiefs of the five states – including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa besides Manipur – to resign, appointing observers for looking into the reasons for the party’s rout in these states.

A four-time MLA from Wangkhem constituency in Thoubal district, Keisham Meghachandra was the working president in the erstwhile MPCC.

The incumbent BJP romped home in the Manipur Assembly polls, bagging 32 of the total 60 seats, with the Congress managing to win just 5 after contesting 54 seats. With all other parties, including the Janata Dal (United), Naga Peoples Front, National People’s Party, the newly-formed Kuki People’s Alliance, and three Independent MLAs extending their support to the N Biren Singh-led BJP government or joining it, the Congress is now the only Opposition party left in this northeastern state.

The Congress veteran and former chief minister O Ibobi Singh, re-elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), will be the Opposition leader in the state Asembly.

Keisham Meghachandra said the main reason behind the Congress’s debacle in the polls was that “it was not a normal election”. “There were clear signs that the BJP had used muscle and money power to the extent of bribing the insurgent groups in total violation of the model code of conduct,” he alleged.

The new Manipur Congress chief said the open declaration by the Kuki insurgent leaders about their support for the BJP “speaks for itself”.

Regarding his role and plans at the helms of the MPCC, he said he will go all out to tackle the huge challenges facing the party in order to help it get back on track.

As part of his priorities, Keisham Meghachandra said he would focus on ensuring the revival and rejuvenation of the Congress at the grass-roots level.

A membership drive would be taken up with a target of enrolling 3 lakh members in April.

He also said that in the role of a “constructive and vigilant Opposition” the Congress will keep track of the BJP government’s policies and programmes.

Keisham Meghachandra expressed confidence that the MPCC revamp would strengthen the party.

Several political observers, however, remained sceptical, saying it is too premature to say whether the MPCC rejig will give a boost to the Congress’s prospects in the state.
Keisham Meghachandra, who has a master’s degree in political science, was first elected from Wangkhem as a Congress nominee in the 2007 polls.

He had been the MPCC general secretary from 2010 to 2016, and its spokesperson in 2017.

He had served as the chairman of the Public Undertaking Committee of the Manipur Assembly during 2009-2010 and as the chairman of the Assembly’s

Estimate Committee in 2010-2011. In 2012 he was appointed as the parliamentary secretary for the minor irrigation and the information and public relation departments.