SHILLONG, Dec 1: United Democratic Party leader and Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Wednesday said the entry of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was not a good development for the state but hoped it would translate into more seats for the regional parties in the 2023 Assembly elections.
He said the merger of 12 Congress MLAs with the TMC was not good particularly for the Garo Hills region, but the Khasi-Jaintia Hills have a choice of regional parties besides the established national parties.
Maintaining that it is too early to predict if other political parties would gain from the TMC’s entry, he said Meghalaya could do with fewer parties. “So many parties make it difficult for the voters to choose,” he added.
But many in Meghalaya are loyal to parties that have been around, he pointed out.
“We hope to win more seats in the next election. Going by the recent by-elections, the MDA is in a good position (ahead of the Assembly polls),” he said.
Rymbui did not rule out the possibility of the BJP nearing its goal of making Meghalaya Congress-free through the TMC.
“The BJP could not succeed on its own, but made the state almost Congress-mukt by dividing the party through the TMC,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said the 12 Congress MLAs who merged with the TMC were not fools. He said they must have consulted legal experts before deciding to switch over.
“I would have done the same if I were to go in order to avoid disqualification,” he said.