SHILLONG: Come Friday, the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls in Meghalaya will decide the political futures of two stalwarts who are in rival camps, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and NPP leader PA Sangma, with consequent ramifications in State politics.
According to political observers, winning the Tura seat if not Shillong too would be important for the survival of the Chief Minister in case the BJP-led NDA comes to power at the Centre. The Chief Minister had not only given all his worth campaigning for Congress candidate in Tura, Daryl William Cheran Momin, he had also prevailed upon the AICC to award the ticket to Momin.
The Congress High Command had given indications in the past that it might change the Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states if the Congress performed badly in any of these in the Lok Sabha polls. A change of leadership in the State may occur if the Congress is not able to secure any of the two seats in Meghalaya.
Observers point out that the NDA, if it comes to power at the Centre, is likely to destabilize the Congress-ruled states and a politically weak Chief Minister would be more vulnerable to such attempts. The detractors of Mukul Sangma including those from the Opposition can gang up against him to effect a change of leadership.
For the veteran PA Sangma, the Lok Sabha election is seen as a last ditch attempt on his part to stage a comeback in State politics after the 2013 assembly poll debacle for his party NPP. The future of his party and the prospects of his own loyalists including his sons, James Sangma, Conrad Sangma and daughter Agatha Sangma who are already in politics would depend on the Tura result.
At a personal level, the Tura result would be more important for the former Lok Sabha Speaker than the Chief Minister. If there is a defeat for PA Sangma, his rival Mukul Sangma will emerge as the undisputed leader of the Garo Hills, and this will also have serious bearing on NPP which PA Sangma was planning to resurrect.
On the other hand, if PA Sangma wins the election, and NDA comes to power, he is sure to play a major role in national politics. This will also be a boost for his image and a threat to the chair of Chief Minister, who is facing the accusation of nexus with militants. Earlier, NPP and the opposition parties had sought the intervention of the Centre to have a probe into the allegations of the alleged nexus of the Chief Minister with Garo Hills based militants. If the CBI or National Investigating Agency initiates any high level inquiry in case NDA comes to power, this may lead to the demand for removal of the Chief Minister for a fair probe.
