With 2024 parliamentary elections approaching it is not surprising to hear of candidates desirous of contesting for the two Lok Sabha seats – Shillong and Tura gearing themselves up for the battle royale. Those who had hastily migrated to the Trinamool Congress in 2021-22 now find themselves out in the cold after being rejected by their constituents. It is not easy to switch parties and expect voters to also swing with the tide. Much has got into making them accept a particular political ideology, so for them to change into a new one, particularly one that they can hardly identify with since it has no tribal features is to expect too much. Besides, the TMC is now all but dissipated. Not much is heard of its activities and other than in West Bengal which is its origin it appears to have lost steam. Hence politically astute players like Mukul Sangma and George Lyngdoh who have many years to go before they retire from active politics have to look for viable options.
Mukul Sangma has repeatedly denied making overtures to the BJP in the past and it is untenable for him to be in that Party for obvious reasons – one of which is that as long as Himanta Biswa Sarma rules the roost in the BJP and is head of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), he will ensure that no one rivals him. Mukul Sangma is a tough opponent and not a pushover like the other state chief ministers in the region. It is therefore not surprising that he is toying with the idea of returning to the Congress which he had left in a huff. True Mukul Sangma has set conditions for his return and it would appear that he is the only leader of stature who could give the present MP, Agatha Sangma (if she still decides to contest the Lok Sabha seat), a run for her money. Now that Bernard Marak is likely to be a contender for the Tura seat, Mukul Sangma would have a better chance at winning the seat with the votes split between the BJP and NPP.
As far as the Shillong Lok Sabha seat is concerned there is a problem of plenty. News that George Lyngdoh former MLA or Umroi who had lost his seat to NPP candidate Damanbait Lamare is likely to join the NPP and contest the Shillong seat is rather surprising considering that Lyngdoh had a rather unsavoury encounter with his rival’s supporters during the election campaign period. But politics is a fair game and politicians need survival techniques else they will be pushed to the margins and forgotten. The VPP has set up a candidate who could upset the political fortunes of many going by the manner in which the VPP anthem is gaining acceptance. But parliamentary elections are a different ball game. So it’s a game of wait and watch!
