By Joydeep Hazarika
The list has to start with him. Be it his bold stand on issues like madrassas, straightforward comments regarding Hindutva or his blitzkreig campaigning in the recent state elections, Himanta Biswa Sarma has been hogging the national limelight the most
The Manipur Chief Minister has gained national limelight this year, albeit in a negative manner, owing to the ethnic strife in his state.
The Nagaland BJP cabinet minister became quite a internet sensation with his witty social media posts and self deprecating jokes. Along's fluent Hindi and his vibrant interviews also made him quite popuar among the netizens hailing from mainland India
The Congress MLA from Assam has been quite in the news in 2023 owing to his outspoken nature and taking matters head on in the parliament.
The Meira Paibis also hogged the limelight amidst the ethnic violence in Manipur in 2023. The local women activists have played important role in various situations amid the violence and have even stood up as guards for the Meitei community's rights.
The Assam cricketer has also been in the news this year for his somewhat meandering performance on field. The cricketer, who once caught the limelight for dancing Bihu on the pitch, fared well in domestic tournament, but could not make a mark in this year's IPL season.
A proud moment for the Northeast in 2023 was when Assam-born Justice Ujjal Bhuyan was appointed as a Supreme Court judge.
The Tripura royal scion rose like a pheonix during the Tripura elections this year when his then newly formed party the Tipra Motha emerged as a major contender against the might of CPI(M) and BJP.
Manipur-born actress Lin Laishram's marriage with actor Randeep Hooda grabbed quite the limelight this year. The marriage, held in colourful traditional Meitei style in Imphal, grabbed the attention of mainstream media, a much welcome break amid the ethnic violence engulfing the state.
Prolific Assam filmmaker Rima Das grabbed headlines this year with her movie, "Tora's Husband." After doing the round of film festivals and winning a Asia Pacific Screen Award, the release of the movie in the country put Rima Das among the newsmakers from the region this year.
2023 was momentous for Taba Chake as he became the first singer from Arunachal Pradesh to sing in a Bollywood movie. Taba sang the song 'Ae Mere Dil' in the movie 'Kadak Singh'