Shillong, Nov 11: Senior Congress leader, Pynshngainlang N Syiem on Thursday said the party will not be able to capitalize on the public mood for change unless it can iron out the internal differences.
“We need to make concerted efforts to resolve the internal differences,” Syiem categorically said even as he claimed the people in the state want change and as such, it is imperative that the Congress sets its house in order.
He felt if Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma leaves the Congress, it will not have any impact in Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
“The impact will be in Garo Hills since he is very tall leader of that region,” Syiem said.
Giving his assessment, he said the emergence of new political parties and the entry of political parties based in other states will affect the smaller parties and not the bigger parties such as the Congress.
“We will have to wait and see if the Congress will be affected in the event of the defection of Sangma and some party MLAs to the TMC (Trinamool Congress). But I still believe the CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader will remain in the party,” Syiem said.
Asserting that the results of the recent by-elections will not impact the performances of the parties in the Assembly elections, he said the general elections are a different ball game altogether since all parties contest and each candidate has to prepare on his/her own unlike the bypoll where the focus is on some constituencies.
Syiem also said that the money factor works only with floating votes.
“The die-hard supporters of any political party will not be moved. If money works, then the margin of defeat of the Congress would have been bigger,” he reasoned out.
Observing that people in Meghalaya do not vote based on issues, he said the problem in the state is that only one section of the voters takes into consideration the issues afflicting the state while casting votes.
According to him, a combination of factors works in Meghalaya. “Many people are not really bothered about the issue of price rise or corruption. Many do not understand these at all,” Syiem said.