SHILLONG: Senior Congress leader, Deborah Marak has downplayed the desertions of the MLAs from the Congress party saying the party have found replacements in their respective constituencies.
Speaking to The Shillong Times here on Wednesday, Deborah Marak expressed confidence that the desertions would not have any impact on the party which will contest on all 60 seats.
“They have left the party because of their own reasons but it does not matter to us,” Marak said.
So far, six Congress MLAs including AL Hek , Siawbhalang Dhar , Comingone Ymbon, Prestone Tynsong, Rowell Lyngdoh and Ngaitlang Dhar have deserted Congress in the state to join National People’s Party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Maintaining that the Congress will emerge as the single largest party after the polls, Marak pointed out that AL Hek was not a senior leader of the party and he was in the habit of coming and going out of the party.
“It was expected that he (Hek) would go back to his original party and we knew it,” Marak added.
On being asked if the decision of the senior leaders not to contest the elections has demoralized Congress, Marak said that their decision had not demoralized them as the senior leaders were just paving the way for younger generation to carry on with the baton.
It may be mentioned that three senior leaders of Congress- DD Lapang, RC Laloo and Roshan Wajri have backed out of the upcoming Assembly elections race due to their personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Marak said that the party would win more than 15 seats in Garo Hills region out of 24 seats.
