By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 25: Caught in a leadership standoff, the Meghalaya Congress is oscillating between experience and youth as state president Vincent Pala and party leader Manuel Badwar each urge the other to contest the upcoming Shillong by-election.
The party is expected to finalise its candidate by the first or second week of May. Pala, who was recently summoned by the AICC to discuss election strategy, admitted there is currently no consensus on who will lead the charge. While Pala stated he wants the younger Manuel Badwar to contest, he noted that Badwar has pushed for the veteran president to return to the fray.
The by-election was necessitated by the recent demise of Shillong MP Dr Ricky AJ Syngkon. Syngkon’s victory in the 2024 General Election was a watershed moment for the Voice of the People Party (VPP), which upended traditional power structures and turned the seat into a symbol of the “new age” voter.
The Congress now faces a survival test as it attempts to reclaim what was once its strongest bastion.
Other political players are also mobilising. The NPP and BJP are expected to announce their candidates next month. Meanwhile, the UDP is scheduled to meet shortly to decide its stance, with the possibility of the Regional Democratic Alliance seeking a consensus candidate to avoid splitting the non-Congress vote.
With the VPP likely to fight hard to retain the legacy of the late Dr Syngkon, the Congress’s choice of candidate is seen as a defining moment for the party’s future relevance in Khasi-Jaintia politics.
