MAWKYRWAT, Jan 23: In the lead-up to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) elections, the Congress received a significant boost as hundreds of leaders and party workers from the TMC, NPP, and UDP joined its ranks during a meeting held in Mawkyrwat on Thursday.
The new members were formally welcomed by Kynpham V Kharlyngdoh, president of the South West Khasi Hills District Congress Committee (SWKHDCC), and Congress MDC candidate Medal Sing Lyngdoh, alongside other leaders from the Mawkyrwat Block Congress Committee (MBCC) and Ranikor Block Congress Committee (RBCC).
Led by Trinamool Congress Mawkyrwat vice president Daros Ramsiej and chief organiser Prilim Marwein, the majority of the new joiners were leaders and workers of the Trinamool Congress in Mawkyrwat, along with several supporters from the NPP and UDP.
Speaking at the gathering, SWKHDCC president Kynpham V Kharlyngdoh expressed renewed confidence in the Congress’s chances of retaining the Mawkyrwat constituency. “In the past few months, I had doubts about winning this election, especially after our MDC, Carness Sohshang, and many leaders left the party to join the NPP. But with the arrival of Medal Sing Lyngdoh, who contested as an HSPDP candidate in the last Assembly election, and his supporters, along with the TMC team, I am confident we will secure victory and retain this seat,” he said. Reflecting on Sohshang’s defection to the NPP, Kharlyngdoh said he still fails to fully understand why the sitting MDC left Congress, speculating it could be due to the NPP being the ruling party. “But one should also consider why Medal Sing Lyngdoh, from the HSPDP — a ruling coalition partner — joined the Congress, which is in Opposition. The reason is simple — Lyngdoh wants to win this election. He joined Congress because he knows the party has a strong base in Mawkyrwat, and it will reclaim the seat,” he added.
Meanwhile, Medal Sing Lyngdoh urged Congress leaders and workers to intensify their efforts by reaching out to supporters in their respective villages. “It was only Sohshang and a few leaders who left the party, but the majority of the supporters are still with us. We need to connect with them and secure their continued support,” he said.
