By H H Mohrmen
It all started with the unfortunate and untimely demise of Dr Donkpar Roy which led to the vacancy in the office of the Speaker of the Assembly that the crack in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) began to appear. The differences in the alliance came to the fore when other regional alliances and even NPP questioned the UDP claim to the Speaker’s post. That the alliance has not been able to come up with a consensus candidate only confirmed the doubts that people have. Adding fuel to the fire, the decision of the other regional parties to form a front of their own also exposes the cracks within the MDA.
For that matter even Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma himself admitted that it is not easy to lead a coalition government which comprises of different parties and alliances. The government now includes four constituents and they of course have their own issues and interests, namely, the NPP, the BJP, the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) which comprises the UDP and the HSPDP. And now we have a new forum – the United Progressive Front which includes the PDF, the NCP, the Independents and now the KHNAM within the MDA. This is likely to create more problems for the ruling MDA Government.
The emergence of the new regional front also exposes the realities of the much-touted regional party unity when in fact they are anathema to each other because instead of joining the RDA, they formed an alternative forum. The Khasi Pnar people use the term “Ki parti tit,” meaning parties that mushroom seasonally; in this case just before elections. Like the wild mushrooms that appear only for a season regional parties come and go, and every time they come up with a new avatar and last for a short period only. The UDP is facing a serious crisis now after losing a doyen of a leader like Dr Donkupar Roy, but it also looks like the Speaker’s post is also slipping from the party’s hold.
The UDP is facing a major challenge in its effort to retain Shella LA constituency because the other members of the MDA are also gearing to contest the election against the Party candidate who is also the son of Dr Donkupar Roy. If the alliance partners are not going to support the UDP candidate, then it is going to be a double whammy for the party, because they had not only lost a leader but they are probably going to lose the Shella seat too. But the most bitter pill for the UDP to swallow is that this will be the second time the alliance has betrayed the Party. In the last election to the Lok Sabha, the UDP candidate who was supposed to be supported by the alliance lost to the Congress candidate. In spite of having the support of the largest number of MLAs and MDCs in the two ADCs and all the parties in the region, the UDP candidate lost to the Congress. If the members of the MDA and the NPP in particular did not support the UDP candidate in the by-election, then it is obvious that the respect that Conrad has for Dr Donkupar is superficial and his saying that he lost a father once again in the demise of Dr Don is an empty rhetoric.
The UDP on the other hand has no one but itself to blame if it is going downhill after this. The UDP’s leadership in the government is weak and their cadres in the district are complaining that they have not benefitted from the Party being part of the Government. The allegation that the only people who have benefited from the alliance are those who are at the helm of power is not unjustified. This in fact came to light when four of the party’s MDCs in the Jaiñtia Hills Autonomous District Council left the party and joined the BJP. This is not only an embarrassment for the party, but for the UDP leadership in the State needs to ask some hard and difficult questions as to why party’s MDCs defected from the fold. While one can understand why the Congress MDCs left the party and joined the BJP, because a politician without power is like a fish out of the water, the question is why the UDP MDCS defected? Why in spite of the party being part of the alliance in the government, did the UDP MDCs defect from the party?
As far as the BJP is concerned it has now entered the Autonomous District Council from the backdoor. In spite of not contesting even a single seat in the last election to the three ADCs the BJP now has its presence in all the ADCs purely because of defection. In the entire drama the only party which is on a losing streak is the UDP. Its candidate lost the MP election; it is not going to retain the Speaker’s post and it will be a cakewalk for Congress if all the alliance partners are going to contest for the post of Speaker in the House. And if the alliance partners are going to fight it out in the by-election to Shella constituency, then it is going to be advantage Congress.
The UDP now needs to do a rethink and decide if being in the alliance is to its advantage to or not. It also needs to reconsider whether being in the MDA is going to help it improve its tally post the 2023 election. The reason is because till now the UDP is the oldest and the strongest regional party in the state and one hopes that it improves its tally in the next election. The strength of the other regional parties like the PDF is questionable because even the party’s founding president has deserted it and joined the NPP. How can people trust the party when its own founder president and strongman has left it? The KHNAM which only has one MLA in the house is in perpetual battle for leadership and the issue has even reached the court even while the battle continues unashamedly. One can’t help but wonder if the KHNAM has any future or if it will survive beyond 2023, so the only regional party in the state with a semblance of hope is the UDP.
The UDP is also at the crossroads now because after the demise of the Party President, it is due to elect a new president whose tenure will be for three years. This is a crucial time for the major regional party in the state and the rise and the fall of the Party will large depend on the leader the party elects. It is hoped that the party will continue to be successful but that’s provided it elects a capable and strong leader. Should the leader be weak leader then the UDP will continue on its downhill slide. Obviously being in the alliance has not helped the UDP and this will of course not augur well for the party because the general election to the state assembly which is due in 2023 is only three years away.