New Article: “The performative democracy of Manipur elections: But the rise of indigenous parties holds out hope of meaningful change in the Northeast”
Published by The Times of India on January 31, 2022.
Article by Binalakshmi Nepram.
Author, scholar, and activist Binalakshmi Nepram discusses Manipur’s two upcoming poll cycles in her featured article with The Times of India. Nepram distinguishes between the two possibilities the polls can provide: performative democracy or real, cataclysmic change. Nepram, while acknowledging the reality of violence and the previous history of staged elections, remains optimistic that the rise of indigenous parties will serve as a “greenshoot of hope.” Political action taken by the Manipur People’s Party and the Kuki’s People Alliance speaks to a newly emerging democratic landscape, one that will start and perpetuate a “process of healing.”
Binalakshmi Nepram is the Founder and Director of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network. She has received multiple commendations, including the Dalai Lama Foundation’s WISCOMP Scholar of Peace Award. She is a scholar member of the New University in Exile Consortium and she can be found on Twitter here.