SHILLONG: Political parties going it alone in the upcoming Assembly polls in 2018 is likely to bring a fractured mandate despite the anti-incumbency mood in the State.
Sources said the Congress, which is weakened nationally, may gain in Meghalaya as the political parties in the State are yet to come up with any pre-poll alliance.
NPP, BJP, UDP and others had claimed that they will form the next Government on their own despite the fact that the Congress is still eying to return to power in 2018.
Sources added that though the Congress is ‘untouchable’ to the varied political parties in the State, in the post-poll scenario, the parties with less numbers will be compelled to align with the Congress if it emerges as the single largest party in the State.
Soon after the Assam Assembly elections which saw non-Congress political parties forming the Government after they formed a grand alliance against the Congress, there were statements from several non-Congress political parties in Meghalaya to have pre-poll alliance. However, this did not materialise as the non-Congress political parties in the State are yet to form any strategy to deal with the Congress, which is the principal opposition for them in the next polls.
A former Congress leader said, to take on the Congress in Meghalaya, the political parties need to be united and for this some sort of sacrifice from each political party is the need of the hour in terms of seat adjustment. However, he pointed out that the desire of every political party is to field maximum candidates in the polls which will only bring a fractured mandate.
Sources added that the situation can only change if the present Congress legislators leave the party and join others in the run-up to the polls that will in turn weaken the Congress.
