From Our Correspondent
MAWKYRWAT, March 25: Supporters of the BJP Ranikor unit have decided to support the Congress as a mark of opposition to the BJP’s decision to support MDA ally NPP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP had recently declared that it will not field any candidates in Shillong and Tura parliamentary seats.
The saffron brigade’s supporters in Ranikor on Monday came forward to openly declare that they will support sitting MP and Congress candidate seeking re-election, Vincent H Pala.
This decision came to light after BJP leaders and supporters attended the meeting of the South West Khasi Hills District Congress Committee (SWKHDCC), which was held at Mawkyrwat Community Hall in South West Khasi Hills on Monday.
Leaders of the BJP, who attended the Congress meeting include German Nongsiang, former president of the NPP Ranikor Block, Manstudy Nongrem, former Chief Executive Member of the KHADC, and youth leader Christopher Lyngdoh.
All the BJP leaders and supporters came to the meeting after consultation and understanding with five-time MLA and BJP leader, Martin M Danggo, who unsuccessfully contested the 2023 Assembly elections from Ranikor on a BJP ticket.
The grand-old party also received another shot in the arm after HSPDP) leader Medalsing Lyngdoh, who unsuccessfully contested the 2023 polls from Mawkyrwat, joined the party along with hundreds of other party leaders and supporters at the same meeting.
Moreover, vice president of TMC Mawkyrwat Block, Kordorlin Kharlyngdoh and his supporters also joined the Congress in the meeting.
Bullish on the support from the BJP, Congress is now riding on high hopes of garnering maximum votes from Mawkyrwat and Ranikor constituencies in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at the meeting, HSPDP leader Medalsing Lyngdoh said that the reason behind him and his supporters leaving the HSPDP and joining Congress was because the party did not field its candidate in the upcoming MP elections. “After having a meeting with all the leaders, we have decided to join the Congress because we know that it is only this party which can fight against the BJP at the national level,” Lyngdoh said.
MPCC vice president Khrang Lyngkhoi said that the Congress had met Danggo several times. He and his supporters are expected to soon join the party.
A confident Vincent Pala, the sitting MP of Shillong, said the party will retain the Shillong seat and win the Tura seat as well. “Almost every day, 1,000 t0 1,500 leaders and supporters of other political parties join the Congress, but we don’t want to go to the media (with this information) because we are afraid that they will be bought back like cattle,” Pala said.
He reiterated that with the BJP lending its support to alliance partner NPP by not fielding candidates in both Shillong and Tura Constituency, many of the saffron party’s supporters have come forward to support the Congress.
Pala also made a bold claim that the Congress will come back to power in India along with the support of different political parties under the INDIA bloc alliance.
In many big states including Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, there will be a minus for the BJP, and the Congress will come back to power.