SHILLONG, Dec 31: Shillong MP and state Congress chief, Vincent H Pala on Sunday said the party should field its candidates from the two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya instead of yielding any or both to a consensus candidate of the INDIA alliance.
“We have been called to New Delhi on January 4 for a political discussion. The high command has the responsibility of taking a decision (on Meghalaya),” he said when asked if Congress and TMC would field a common candidate in the state under the INDIA bloc.
The two parties want to take on the BJP at the national level together.
“It is too early to say but on January 4, all the state presidents, general secretaries, and in-charges of the states would meet our party president. I can let you know about the outcome of the meeting,” Pala said.
He, however, said he does not endorse the idea of a consensus candidate, at least in Meghalaya.
“There are rumours that the TMC leaders in the state might go to the BJP. Besides, the TMC here is disorganised and I do not think they have the drive to contest the (Lok Sabha) elections,” he said.
VPP graph declining
Pala believes that the popularity of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) has been declining.
Despite the VPP’s popularity and vote share in some places, the Congress has always been the state’s choice for national politics, he said.
“They may be powerful in and around Shillong, but they are not in many other areas, and it also depends on how far politics can go in another four months. The VPP will recognise its true colours, he said, if the UDP, Congress, and NPP can win over their supporters.
The people of Meghalaya know how to cast ballots at the state, local, and national levels. “They may like the party and the candidate, but they also understand how crucial it is to limit overall interest,” he added.
