SHILLONG: With 21 MLAs in the House of 60, the NPP does not face any threat to its government despite the claim of Congress leader H M Shangpliang that that the party will reach out to likeminded partners to form the government.
The NPP-led MDA coalition has the support of 40 members. Besides, the NPP’s 21 MLAs it has seven from UDP, two associate members of UDP — SK Sunn and Samuel Sangma — four from PDF, two each of BJP and HSPDP, one from NCP and the lone Independent, Lambor Malngiang.
On the other hand, the strength of the Opposition is 20 with 19 from the Congress and the lone KHNAM member Adelbert Nongrum.
A party leader from NPP, while stating that the MDA coalition is intact, said in fact Congress should worry more having lost power at the Centre and in many states.
Sources said with the BJP-led NDA in power at the Centre and non- Congress-led governments in all the Northeastern states, the Congress in Meghalaya may face an uphill task in even keeping its flock together.
The state Congress leaders, however, have ruled out any division within the party as a fallout of the election results.
No decision on CLP leader
The worry for the Congress is not in Khasi Hills where it has 10 MLAs, but Garo where the party now has only nine.
There is no direct demand for change of CLP leader Mukul Sangma after the poll debacle in Tura and Selsella, which followed the inability of the Congress under his leadership to form a government after the 2018 Assembly polls despite emerging as the single largest party with 21 seats.
The CLP meeting held on Saturday did not raise any demand for change of leadership, but only assessed the election results.
Moreover, there was no offer on Mukul’s part to quit the post of CLP leader following the poll debacle.
However, sources said that with Khasi Hills having 10 MLAs, there can be a demand for electing a new leader from the region as the CLP chief could not ensure victory in Tura and Selsella in the Garo Hills from where he hails.
Selsella was earlier represented by Congress member Clement Marak whose death necessitated the by-poll in the constituency.
The loss in Selsella reduced the strength of the Congress to 19, but had it won there would have been 20 seats for the party which then would have equaled the NPP’s.
A section of the Congress MLAs believes that if there is a change of leadership in CLP, this can in the long run pave the way for the formation of a Congress-led government as some of the alliance partners in the MDA may support the party.
UDP worries
Like the Congress, the defeat of the UDP candidate Jemino Mawthoh in Shillong
parliamentary seat, is a cause for worry for the party despite the support of MDA coalition partners except the BJP.
The party wanted to repeat the Ranikor pattern of win in the Lok Sabha polls, but in vain as the voters chose Congress candidate Vincent Pala.
In the by-election to Ranikor, the UDP candidate Pius Marwein had defeated Congress leader MM Danggo, who resigned as MLA to contest from NPP.
Sources said that if there is a change of leadership in the Congress and if a situation arises to form a new government, there will be divided opinion within the UDP.
Soon after the 2018 Assembly polls, Congress had offered the post of the chief minister to party leader Donkupar Roy but he refused it saying that the party is committed to support NPP to form a non-Congress government.
However, the party may not have any aversion to working with the Congress as the UDP was part of many past governments led by the grand old party.
UDP, together with the associate members, has nine MLAs and its pre-poll alliance partner HSPDP, with two members, will have to go with the UDP to be part of any government which has different combinations. The stand of PDF, which has four MLAs, on whether it will stick with NPP if the opposition Congress makes a move to form an alternative government in the state, is yet to be known.
