SHILLONG: UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh, who has represented West Shillong constituency for two terms, has ruled out the possibility of a major chunk of the urban Shillong vote going BJP’s way in the upcoming Lok Sabha election to the Shillong seat like in 2014.
In 2014 in his home turf of West Shillong, UDP got 3921 votes while BJP got 6591 votes and Congress got 3407 votes.
In South Shillong constituency where non-tribals constitute a major chunk of the voters, BJP had got 10534 votes followed by Congress with 4645 votes and UDP 1092 votes.
In Pynthorumkhrah constituency, BJP had got 6984 votes followed by Congress with 4183 votes and UDP a mere 1537 votes. In North Shillong too, BJP had led with 5165 votes followed by Congress with 4233 votes and UDP 1955 votes.
In East Shillong, Congress got 5293 votes followed by the BJP, which got 4361 votes, and UDP 1650 votes.
Lyngdoh argued that in 2014, the Modi formula was new and there was a lot of sheen and glitter attached to it, but that has since faded away.
“In urban Shillong, there was a lot of Modi wave that time, but now there will only be ripples,” Lyngdoh said.
Stating that UDP’s Jemino Mawthoh, who is the common candidate of the MDA for the Shillong seat, has an edge, he added that the anti-incumbency factor will work against the two-term Congress MP, Vincent Pala.
When asked about smaller parties not finding much voice in Delhi, Lyngdoh stated that smaller states have to struggle to make their voices heard in the national capital. He said nothing short of a constitutional amendment can take care of this anomaly where seats are allotted not on the basis of population, but on other parameters. A country, which preaches about smaller families, is in fact rewarding states with huge population, he said adding that population is a major cause for weakening the economy of the country and smaller states are suffering because of lack of numbers. “Delhi will listen only if the smaller states have the numbers,” he said.
Citing an example, he said that over the issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the BJP would be even ready to sacrifice the 25 constituencies of the North East in order to retain 80 Hindu-dominated constituencies somewhere else.
“It is arithmetic and in that process, North East would continue to lose and suffer,” he added.
