Imphal: NPP convention and Kang festival mark a vibrant week
National People's Party president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma visited Imphal on July 24, inaugurating the party's new Manipur state office ahead of the NPP's annual convention. The same day, thousands of devotees across the Imphal valley celebrated the concluding day of the nine-day Kang festival — Manipur's Rath Yatra — with chariot processions, traditional rituals, and community feasts at the Shree Shree Govindajee Temple.
🗳️ Conrad Sangma inaugurates NPP Manipur state office
National People's Party president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma arrived in Imphal on July 24, 2026, for a two-day visit timed around the party's annual convention in Manipur. On the first day of his visit, Sangma inaugurated the NPP's Manipur State Office at Mercy Lane in Mantripukhri, where he was received by senior leaders and office-bearers of the party's state unit. The inauguration served as a formal curtain-raiser for the NPP's annual convention, which was scheduled to take place at the MSFDS complex in Imphal the following day. The event marked a significant organizational milestone for the NPP in Manipur, signaling the party's intent to strengthen its institutional footprint in the state. Sangma's visit was widely seen as a direct demonstration that the NPP — which governs neighboring Meghalaya and plays a key role in the Manipur coalition government — is preparing for greater political engagement ahead of any future electoral contest. The opening of a permanent state party office in Mantripukhri, a locality in the Imphal valley, underscored the party's commitment to maintaining a structured and visible presence in Manipur's political landscape. The NPP annual convention on July 25 was expected to draw delegates and party workers from across the state to the MSFDS complex in Imphal, with Sangma presiding over the proceedings as part of his two-day schedule in the city. [4]
🪔 Nine-day Kang festival concludes with devotion and fervour
Manipur's nine-day Kang festival — the state's celebrated version of the Rath Yatra — drew to a joyful close on Friday, July 24, 2026, as thousands of devotees gathered across the Imphal valley to participate in traditional chariot-pulling ceremonies and religious observances. The festival had begun on July 16 and was observed with nine days of continuous rituals, culminating in the Kanglen, or Purna Jatra, on the final day. The central celebration was held at the Shree Shree Govindajee Temple complex within the historic Palace Compound area of Imphal East district, where a large congregation of devotees dressed in traditional attire gathered despite the heat to offer flowers and fruits to Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, and to take part in the ceremonial pulling of the Kang, or traditional chariot. The ISKCON temple at Sangaiprou on Airport Road in Imphal West also joined in, conducting its own miniature Kang procession along the road. Across the valley, religious rituals were held at mandaps and community halls in nearly every locality. Integral to the nine-day celebration were community feasts at which khichri — a traditional dish of rice and lentils — was served to devotees throughout the observance period. Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, accompanied by his family and dressed in traditional attire, attended the Kanglen ceremony at the Govindajee Temple, adding an official and deeply symbolic presence to the concluding day of the festival. [6]
Sources: [4] India Today NE · [6] Eastern Mirror