SHILLONG, Dec 9: The United Democratic Party (UDP) on Thursday said the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) is now seen as an emerging challenger in Meghalaya politics.
UDP working president, Paul Lyngdoh said the AITC is being viewed as a force to take on the BJP in the national political arena.
He said because of the split in the Congress, which reduced the party to a mere shadow of its past, the AITC is being seen as an emerging challenger ahead of 2023 Assembly elections.
Lyngdoh observed that the AITC will have more bearing in Garo Hills given its state architect and former Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma’s influence among voters. As a Congress leader, he had been instrumental in scripting victories for the party in many elections in Garo Hills.
“We see majority of the Congress MLAs are now associated with the AITC. The Congress has already been wiped out in the Garo Hills region,” Lyngdoh told.
“The politics in Khasi-Jaintia Hills sector is personality-driven. Therefore, the political parties do not have much space and the electorates elect individuals rather than political parties,” he said.
The UDP working president felt the split in the Congress will be an advantage for the ruling parties in the elections.
“The regional parties will benefit from the prevailing political situation where the Opposition is divided. We see an exodus of the Congress supporters to the AITC,” Lyngdoh said.
He said there was a general perception at one point of time that the regional parties will not and cannot unite.
“Today, it is demonstrated very clearly that national parties, like the Congress, could not remain united when it is out of power,” Lyngdoh said.
On the emergence of Ardent Basaiawmoit’s “Voice of the People Party” as well as the AITC, he said, “Forming and sustaining a political party is not a walk in the park. It is not easy to form a political party and it is even more difficult to sustain it,” he said.
Recalling that KHNAM was formed with high hopes in 2002, Lyngdoh said the party had managed to win only two seats in the subsequent 2003 Assembly elections.
“We had raised many issues like ILP (Inner Line Permit) and Reservation Policy. I had even resigned as a Minister in 2005 during the MBoSE issue. In the 2008 polls, raising these issues did not pay off since we were reduced to only one MLA. This is the story of political parties,” he added.
