By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 16: The future of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Meghalaya beyond the 2028 Assembly elections is far from assured, the party’s state unit chief, Charles Pyngrope, admitted on Saturday.
He said the TMC’s legislators are bound by their mandate to remain in the party until the end of the current term.
“We will survive till the Assembly elections because, as elected members, we are committed to being part of the party in the House. But, I won’t be able to give a direct answer to the question on whether the TMC will stand as a party and fight the next elections,” he said.
His candid admission underscored the growing uncertainty within the TMC amid speculations about the poaching of MLAs by the ruling National People’s Party (NPP).
Asked if he might shift political allegiance, Pyngrope avoided a direct answer and said a decision would be taken “when the bridge is crossed”.
His statement reiterating short-term unity has put a question mark on the TMC’s fate and signalled a possible reconfiguration of political loyalties in the next polls. Although Pyngrope has refrained from disclosing his move, many party leaders and workers from his Nongthymmai constituency have joined Congress, giving a clear indication of the developments to follow.
Moreover, the state TMC has been hamstrung by the lack of communication among its leaders, which made the party opt out of contesting the KHADC and the JHADC polls. Its plan for the upcoming GHADC polls is unclear.
‘Cong’s downfall rooted in failed leadership’
Pyngrope attributed the collapse of Congress in Meghalaya to the party’s failed leadership.
A powerhouse in the state till a few years ago, Congress was left with no MLAs in the 60-member Assembly after Ronnie V Lyngdoh joined the NPP in July.
A former Congressman himself, Pyngrope minced no words in his assessment. “Everything rises and falls on leadership. If you have a weak captain, your ship is not going to sail and you’re going to sink,” Pyngrope said.
Stating that his remarks are not aimed at any individual, he said legislators may leave a party for many reasons, including personal considerations or perceived needs of their constituencies.
Pyngrope, however, was cautious about writing the Congress’s political obituary.
He said it is unlikely that “the Congress shop will be closed” in Meghalaya, suggesting that the party organisation could continue to exist even in electoral exile.
Congress bagged five seats in the 2023 Assembly polls. Three of them – Charles Marngar, Celestine Lyngdoh and Gabriel Wahlang – joined the NPP in September 2024.
The fourth, Saleng A Sangma, resigned from the House following his election to the Lok Sabha last year.
The Congress’s slide began in November 2021 when 12 of its 17 MLAs, led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, joined the TMC. Over time, three other MLAs joined the NPP, while the remaining two embraced the United Democratic Party.
The Congress had no MLA when it went to the 2023 Assembly polls.