Rona Khymdeit, a former MDC from the United Democratic Party (UDP) has joined the Congress and will run for the Nongpoh seat in next year’s Assembly election.
Meghalaya Congress president Vincent Pala and other higher-ups of the state and Ri-Bhoi units today welcomed Khymdeit to the party.
Khymdeit lost her seat in the 2019 Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council election to Balajied Ranee of the Congress.
During today’s programme, Pala confirmed Khymdeit as the Congress candidate for Nongpoh’s Assembly seat in 2023. Others who were present were senior party figures Pynshngain Syiem, Fenela Lyngdoh Nonglait, Charles Marngar and Celestine Lyngdoh.
Khymdeit said that she ditched the UDP in order to accelerate her ambitions, which, she opined, the Congress can help her achieve.
Pala pledged that the Congress will work hard on rebuilding the party in Ri-Bhoi and Meghalaya as a whole ahead of the polls with the help of the party workers and prominent persons who have joined despite the Congress’ well-publicised recent difficulties.
Other Ri-Bhoi leaders who joined the Congress today included Rev PW Pnar and former Deputy Superintendent of Police S Mallai along with their supporters.
Meanwhile, the state and district Congress committees also protested against the price hike in essential commodities, especially petrol, diesel and LPG and held the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government responsible for these anti-poor hikes.
