SHILLONG: Veteran politician Rowell Lyngdoh said on Tuesday Martin M Danggo’s decision to resign only three months after being elected was one of the factors that led to his defeat in the just concluded by-poll.
Speaking to reporters here, Lyngdoh, when asked about Danggo’s debacle in Ranikor, observed that the regional parties “have always controlled South and West Khasi Hills”.
At the same time, he referred to reports about cash-for-votes and said, “We don’t know if the talk about money floating was a rumour or a fact.”
He admitted that his decision to shift party might have worked against him “since people in rural areas think a lot before they do something”.
“He (Danggo) should have thought properly before jumping and I think the situation was same in my case as many people thought what the new party was all about,” he added.
However, he pointed out that Danggo tried his best to develop the constituency though “we cannot say that he was successful in everything because people’s aspirations are very high”.
Lyngdoh was quick to defend Danggo’s decision to quit the Congress saying former chief minister Mukul Sangma did not act on the promise to upgrade Ranikor to civil sub-division.
“People in the constituency have not realised that Danggo sacrificed his seat for the area to be developed as a civil sub-division,” he reiterated other senior NPP leaders’ views on Danggo’s move.
Asked about the Congress, Lyngdoh said it would not come back to power in Meghalaya for at least five years.
The former Congress leader, who joined NPP before the February election, said, “The Congress will not fare well even in future since it has not been able to do justice with people in many places, especially when Mukul Sangma was heading the state, though they have done a lot.”
Praising NPP, Lyngdoh said the party may even replace Congress in the state.
Lyngdoh joined NPP before the Assembly elections this year. After the last two by-polls, both NPP and Congress have 20 MLAs each in the House of 60.
