By HH Mohrmen
The jigsaw puzzles are fast falling in their respective places and an image is beginning to emerge as the first battle for the 2018 war is over. All along the two NDA partners were in competition to woo the sitting legislators who about a year or so ago were considering jumping ship and had secretly sent feeler to the two parties. The NDA partners were already in the know that there were disgruntled Congress legislators who have already decided to abandon the Congress and contest the ensuing election from another party’s ticket. But in the competition to woo the unhappy MLAs, the verbal bazookas from one of the partners gradually fell silent as ultimately it is the junior partner which stole the show from under the senior partner’s nose.
As four of the former Congress legislators are all set to join the NPP, the MPCC President and Dr Mukul Sangma stand vindicated because the decision they have made to dissolve the Congress Committees in the four constituencies that the four legislators represent was in anticipation of what was going to happen. This also goes to prove that the Congress leadership is smarter than the defected MLAs and they made the right moves to scuttle their plans before the four can embarrass the party. The Congress already knew that altogether eight MLAs will leave the MUA II but they could do nothing with the four independent MLAs who are only associate members of the Congress.
The question is, will the defected Congress legislators get any benefit from merely shifting party allegiance? Will the four former Congress legislators be able to rid themselves of the curse of anti incumbency effect by merely changing the sides or do away with the old uniforms? Or will the people see them as bad apples which the Congress has decided to dispose of any way.
It is now obvious that there are altogether eight incumbent MLAs who are abandoning the MUA II ship and all six of them are from Jaintia Hills because even the one representing Umroi is also originally from West Jaintia hills. Of these, six are in the NPP’s kitty; even this column has already declared that Stephenson Mukhim will join NPP a long time ago and about the remaining two Justine Dkhar and Robinus Syngkon the last time we heard was that they plan to join the BJP.
There is no denying the fact that Meghalaya remains the Congress’ last bastion and a preliminary survey of the strength of the parties at least in Jaintia hills only indicates that 3-Raliang is still a comfortable seat for the Congress. Dr Roytre Laloo will face a challenge of retaining 2-Jowai because Madonbai Rymbai one of the MDCs is shifting allegiance and will not support him anymore which means that he will now loose Khliehtyrchi which used to be his strong hold.
It is also a fact that for more than three decades Jowai was represented by the two parties only and the Congress and the UDP can prevent the NPP from winning this prestigious seat only if the two brothers in-law can get off their ego ride, forget the past and let bygones be bygones and come up with an arrangement to win Jowai. The truth is no power can defeat them in Jowai if only they can come into an understanding.
Another constituency which can be a comfortable seat for the Congress is 5- Sutnga-Saipung which is currently represented by Hopeful Bamon but the party can win the seat only on one condition and that is if Vincent Pala gives his all out support to Shitlang Pale the Congress candidate. Congress candidate Jopthiaw Lyngdoh is also literally giving the sitting Congress MLA defector and NPP candidate Sniawbhalang Dhar a run for his money.
The recent development in 7- Amlarem constituency is also interesting and the first vote of no confidence against the incumbent MLA, Stephenson Mukhim was when his candidate lost to Lamdibok Sumer of the Congress in the by-election to the War East MDC constituency which he himself had vacated. The Congress already has another MDC in the area Honlando Lamin who represents War Central and the very recent development is that even Het Pohthmi, Stephen’s strongman and War West MDC who is also from the same Padu village with Stephenson has recently joined the Congress. The recent development indicates that in the battle for 7- Amlarem constituency it is advantage Lahkmen Rymbui but only if he contests on a Congress ticket.
Considering the developments in the two districts it is safe to say that the Congress is a strong contender in at least five constituencies in both the districts in Jaintia hills. The Congress is here to stay at least till 2018 and only the uninitiated writer will try to write-off the Congress at least in the ensuing election.
The news which did not receive the publicity it deserves is the decision of Roshan Wajri not to contest the coming elections and give up her political career. The news should have been in the limelight for the very reason that politicians never retire but they just fade away. Very few politicians will decide to call it a day because they stop only when they lose the elections or die in harness like P.A. Sangma and Hoping Stone Lyngdoh. It is for the first time in the history of the state that an incumbent legislator who still has a strong chance to win the next election has decided to retire. The lady deserves to be honoured because she is the only politician in recent times who decided to retire gracefully.
Hopefully other senior legislators like D.D. Lapang, Dr R.C. Laloo and Rowell Lyngdoh will also follow her example and retire while they are still making good tidings and while the people still have fond memories of their contribution to the community. Like clever sportspersons the politicians should stop behaving like drowning people clinging to straws, but should instead hang their boots at the right time. Politicians should stop making it a tradition to continue doing politics as long as they live and make dying with their boots on an honour.
The other development which could be detrimental to the NPP is the fact that it will be the party which has the maximum numbers of millionaires in their list of candidates in the ensuing election. And NPP will be perceived by the voters as the party of the contractors, the businessmen and the big fish.
In conclusion all along the NPP and the BJP tried to outdo each other in their effort the attract the seven MLAs as they had claimed, but it was the NPP which won the game albeit it is one short of the lucky number seven. Of course having four Congress defectors and two independent MLAs on its side is good enough but the truth is that lucky seven still evades the party. The battle for lucky seven is over but the war has just began. The NDA allies have already made claims and counter claims for what little achievement that the alliance had been able to introduce in the state.
The truth is that this is all drama where the partners are engaging to woo voters. The BJP will be the NPP’s natural ally and the Deputy Chief Minister from Manipur has already stated that in Manipur the BJP was leading the government. Their hope is that the NPP will lead the alliance in Meghalaya supported by the BJP. The only catch here is that parties can make tall claims, but it is the voters who will decide.