JOWAI: Three members of the Congress in the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) have joined UDP to support Moonlight Pariat as the new chief executive member.
Hermon Phawa of Wahiajer, Laitsing Shylla of Ummulong and cop-turned-politician Suklang Shylla said if the National People’s Party, which has seven members, does not work with the Congress, they would follow suit.
“But we want no Shiwat (former CEM Thombor Shiwat who quit the Congress for NPP) or Rymbai (Amwi-Khliehtyrshi MDC and former CEM, MB Rymbai) as CEM,” MDCs said while speaking to The Shillong Times.
Rymbai had been trying to garner support of other MDCs for becoming the JHADC chief. Both Rymbai and Shiwat joined NPP before the election. The former was not a popular choice as CEM among many non-Congress MDCs.
“I am also going to support ‘Ma’ Pariat,” said a Congress MDC when asked about the CEM post on Thursday.
The JHADC will hold a budget session on March 28 and none of the members are sure about supporting the budget.
“Non-Congress supporters are now in the majority because Congress MDCs have also joined us and we are sure to change the executive committee within a week or two before the commencement of the budget session,” said another Congress MDC.
At present, the strength of political parties in JHADC is NPP at 7, BJP at 2, UDP at 4 and Independents at 4, besides the three Congress members who had decided to join UDP to support Pariat as CEM.
