GUWAHATI: Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary, John F Kharshiing has hinted that a win in Ampati might just open the door for the party to get absolute majority in the 60-member state Assembly.
“If Congress manages to win Ampati and becomes the single largest party with 21 seats, then I think that getting 10 more MLAs to its fold would not be too difficult for absolute majority, given the twists and turns of coalition politics,” Kharshiing told The Shillong Times on Thursday.
The NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance has BJP, regional parties such as the UDP, PDF, HSPDP and KHNAM as it allies.
The Congress leader was in Ampati on Wednesday to campaign for party candidate and former chief minister Mukul Sangma’s daughter, Miani D Shira, who is locked in a triangular contest with NPP’s Clement G Momin and Independent candidate, Subhankar Koch.
Asked whether the party would stake claim to form the government as the single largest party if Congress triumphs in Ampati, Kharshiing however said that he could not comment and that the CLP leader was the best person to respond to such a possibility.
The MPCC general secretary however admitted that given the fact that the top brass from Delhi was camping in Garo Hills to support the MDA candidate, the pressure was high.
“The fight will be tough as the pressure is high. But people of Ampati have elected the Congress government in the past 25 years. Then again, from what I could gather, the Hajong community is extremely unhappy that their candidate (Bakul Hajong) was not given a ticket by BJP in the last minute. Even the BJP workers, a large chunk of the, are demoralised now. So this will work to our advantage,” Kharshiing said.
Dismissing the propaganda of Miani being inexperienced as unwarranted, he said, “From what I could see during my visit to Ampati, she appears very comfortable and confident while she has been campaigning alone. Besides her stint as a student of the college she studied in Delhi which is known to produce great orators and leaders, will certainly help her.”
Where’s the Achhe Din?
Asked about the BJP-led Assam government completing two years on Thursday, the Meghalaya PCC leader wondered why the achhe din (good days), as promised by the saffron party, was not visible even after four years of the Modi government at the Centre, and now, after two years of the Sonowal government.
“I don’t know when we will get to see the achhe din. (To cite an