SHILLONG: Mawkhar constituency MDC James Ban Basaiawmoit has returned to KHNAM after deserting the party to join the UDP.
Basiawmoit formally joined the party during the KHNAM general convention here on Saturday.
The Mawkhar MDC was among the two KHNAM MDCs along with Latiplang Kharkongor who were a part of the merger agreement between KHNAM and UDP which was orchestrated by the party former chief Paul Lyngdoh.
The Mawkhar MDC however distance himself from the UDP after he was not allotted the party ticket to contest from Shillong North in the recently Assembly poll which was held in February this year.
Not only Basaiawmoit, even Kharkongor who was denied the UDP ticket to contest from Nongthymmai constituency, left UDP.
In fact, the only senior leader of KHNAM who was awarded the party ticket was Paul Lyngdoh ticket who successfully contested from the Shillong West constituency. Lyngdoh is currently the working president of the UDP. Mentionably, the merger of KHNAM with the UDP was rejected by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after the groups who opposed the merger led by its lone MDC Adelbert Nongrum and the present president Pyndapborthiaw Saiborne lodge a petition to the poll panel. During the general convention, Basiawmoit was formally re-inducted to the party after leaving the party nearly one year back.
Sources informed that both Kharkongor and Sohtun are likely to join KHNAM.