From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI: The Congress’s survey before the polls had predicted a 20-something win for the party but its leaders both in Delhi and in the state were hoping for a miracle.
The Congress has technically won 20 seats since Mukul Sangma contested from two constituencies, Ampati and Songsak. The loss of at least 10 seats was either due to reshuffle, defection or unwillingness of legislators to contest.
The Congress witnessed internal bickering and took some drastic steps against legislators PN Syiem, the Dhar brothers, Prestone Tynsong and Rowell Lyngdoh, to name the prominent ones.
Comingone Ymbon, who was made a minister in the latter part of the Congress-led government, quit the party and won the election.
Besides the ministers, some MLAs and parliamentary secretaries also left and joined rival parties or did not contest at all.
Prominent among them were former Deputy Chief Minister R C Laloo and former Health Minister Roshn Warjari, and both the seats went to NPP and KHNAM respectively.
Besides these eight sitting legislators there were few others who left the century old party and got elected from other platform. Besides the series of desertions, defections, dismissal and departure from elections of the congress legislators let alone grass root level workers in their constituencies dealt a heavy blow to the old party.
All put together, the Congress could have got a majority on its own and the governor was bound to have invited it for next government even if the BJP led NDA is at power at the Centre and neighbouring states, observers feel. Sheer headcount of these legislators could bring back the party to power for a third consecutive term.
The AICC intervened by appointing Shillong MP Vincent H Pala as working president to retrieve the gloomy situation in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills. But it was too little and too late.
One AICC observer said that if Pala would not have been sent to state politics, the Congress would have remained confined only to Garo Hills where Sangma put up a tough fight. But there was no coordination since both Sangma and Pala were overconfident that the party will cross even 35-mark. But the Congress could not salvage the situation despite sending Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath, Mukul Wasnik and C P Joshi to Shillong as the non-Congress coalition had an upper hand with the blessings of the BJP.