Focus is on public service, not polls: Ardent Basaiawmoit
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 16: VPP chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit has played down the political significance of former Nongkrem MLA Lambor Malngiang joining the ruling NPP, describing it as an internal manoeuvre geared toward electoral consolidation.
“There is nothing I can say much about Lambor joining NPP,” Basaiawmoit remarked. “But what is evidently clear is the attempt of the ruling party to strengthen itself and to better prepare itself for the next assembly elections,” he said.
Basaiawmoit was firm that the VPP would not be drawn into premature election campaigns. “The people elected our MLAs, MDCs and MP and we will be serving the people. Now is not the time to talk about elections. It’s about serving the people, not preparing for the election,” he asserted, emphasising a service-first approach.
Malngiang’s return to the NPP on Thursday marks his re-entry into active politics. The move is widely seen as strategic, particularly given Nongkrem’s status as the home turf of Basaiawmoit, who remains a formidable political force in the constituency.
Malngiang’s political journey dates back to 2003, when he was first elected as Nongkrem’s MLA on a KHNAM ticket. He later suffered consecutive defeats to Basaiawmoit in the 2008 and 2013 Assembly elections. However, he staged a narrow comeback in 2018, defeating Basaiawmoit as an Independent by a margin of 76 votes. In the 2023 Assembly election, Basaiawmoit—leading the newly-formed VPP— reclaimed the seat, trouncing Malngiang, who ran on a UDP ticket, by a margin of 4,187 votes.
