‘All not lost for Cong after Shillong loss’

SHILLONG, June 4: Congress leader Manuel Badwar said all is not lost for Congress even after the party failed to retain the Shillong parliamentary seat.
Reacting to the outcome in Shillong, he said the party has done well in Meghalaya by managing to win the Tura parliamentary seat.
According to him, the victory in Tura showed that the people of the Garo Hills reposed their faith in the party.
The Congress leader said the landslide victory of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) is an indication that the people have voted for change.
He said his party is hopeful that the VPP will try to deliver after getting such a huge mandate, especially on the issues they raised during their election campaign.
Badwar said anti-incumbency could have been one of the factors behind the defeat of Vincent H. Pala, the sitting Shillong MP. Another factor could be that the people wanted to try a new party, he said.
The Congress leader said the party will try to consolidate its position in the next two to three years.
He ruled out the possibility of Congress looking for a change of guard in Meghalaya.
“A party with a legacy of more than 100 years will not change the leader only because of losing an election,” he said, insisting Pala will continue to lead the party in the state.