5 points on Congress Party’s Manipur candidate Akoijam Bimol Angomcha

1. Mr. Akoijam, 57, holds master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology and teaches at the Social Systems Research Center, School of Social Sciences, Jinan University. Previously, he taught at the University of Delhi and the think tank Center for Research on Developing Societies.

2. Mr. Akojam has a long history of involvement in public issues and democratic movements. He had been expressing concern about growing ethnic tensions in the border state long before violence broke out between the Kuki-Zo tribe and the Meiteis in May 2023.

3. Congress sources told NDTV that he appears to have broad acceptance and support among young voters and first-time voters in the area where the Inner Manipur seat falls. The party has also been reaching out to older voters, presenting the academic as an outspoken man who will represent Nemanipur well in Parliament.

4. Mr. Akojam is one of the few Manipur academics who regularly appears in the media to speak on issues related to rights and governance. His supporters believe that if elected, he has the potential to become the first MP from Inner Manipur to bring the state’s issues to a wider audience and draw national attention.

5. Mr. Akojam is also an avid explorer of film, using the medium in many of the courses he teaches at Jinan University. He has served as a member of the film festival jury. He made a documentary “Lang-Goi Challabee” (“Paradise Under Siege”) in 2004 and his first feature film “Karigee Kirunee Nungsiradee” (If You Love, Why Fear) in 2014.

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