SHILLONG, Nov 17: Shillong MP from and senior Congress leader, Vincent Pala has downplayed the threat of the NPP that many Congress MLAs would desert the party before 2023 Assembly polls in the state.
Speaking to The Shillong Times over phone from New Delhi on Tuesday, Pala said that it is too early and too difficult to say anything on the matter as it is the individual MLAs who will take their respective decision.
“Maybe, Congress MLAs would join NPP and maybe NPP MLAs too would join Congress. We never know about future,” he said.
Admitting that there was anti-incumbency factor against Congress and now there is anti-incumbency factor against NPP, the Congress MP said elections are quite far away from now and many MLAs even if they have made their mind may change their stand at the last moment.
NPP state president and Rajya Sabha MP, WR Kharlukhi earlier had maintained that the trend of Congress MLAs jumping over to other political parties would be repeated in Meghalaya just before the 2023 Assembly elections as was done just before 2018 polls.
Meanwhile on the election for the post of the President of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee, Pala admitted that there was a move by MLAs to change the president when Luizinho Faleiro was the in-charge of Meghalaya but since he has been transferred, the new in-charge has not come to Meghalaya due to COVID-19.
It may be mentioned that the term of the current MPCC President, Dr Celestine Lyngdoh will end in December this year.
Stating that the party collectively will take a call on the matter, he also threw his weight behind Charles Pyngrope who is willing to take up the post.
Making no bones about it, Pala observed that “Charles Pyngrope is very experienced and I am sure all MLAs will agree with him becoming the next president as he is the most competent.”
He added that Pyngrope has a lot of experience with his stint of being Shillong city president for 7-8 years.
He also said that Dr Celestine Lyngdoh has done well as the president of the MPCC. “You never know, he may be given an extension,” Pala said.
