He may be a senior figure and ultimate United Democratic Party (UDP) loyalist but that still did not prevent the party from passing over Bindo Lanong in favour of sitting MLA Lambor Malngiang as its choice for the next state elections from Nongkrem constituency.
Lanong, a former Deputy Chief Minister and Speaker of the Assembly, has been out of the legislature for nearly 10 years now, having lost twice to Ampareen Lyngdoh in East Shillong. For some time now, he has been eyeing Nongkrem but there was one complication – Malngiang, who won in 2018 as an independent, wanted to join the UDP.
The decision by the UDP high command to give the party ticket for Nongkrem to the sitting legislator has, understandably, not gone down well with Lanong.
“Malngiang is not even an associate member of the UDP,” Lanong told Highland Post. “He is a complete outsider. How can the UDP give him the party ticket instead of me?”
Terming it wrong, unfair and a complete injustice, Lanong, who is a nominated MDC in the KHADC, said he could not understand the decision making process of party president Metbah Lyngdoh and general secretary Jemino Mawthoh.
As the oldest member of the UDP, Lanong felt that he deserved the ticket and said that Lyngdoh and Mawthoh will be answerable to the public.
“Had I made any bad remarks or been involved in any scams and corruption, etc then it’s understood that there are reasons they don’t want to give me the party ticket. But I’m blameless and I have vast knowledge and experience. My position in Nongkrem is also better than Lambor and being the senior-most figure in the UDP, denial of the party ticket to me is pure injustice,” he said.
Malngiang won the seat by fewer than 100 votes four years ago but the UDP still seems to feel that he has the better chance.
One of the other reasons Lanong feels he deserves the ticket is his absolute loyalty to the UDP (he joined the party in 1997), which makes him an outlier in a state where politicians change their party affiliation almost as often as their clothes.
He said Malngiang contested the election in 2008 from KHNAM, then from the Congress in 2013, then he finally won as an independent candidate in 2018 and now he wants the UDP ticket, which shows that the MLA does not have any principles.
When asked about suggestions that he is too old, Lanong brushed them aside, saying that no one in Nongkrem ever mentions his age when he visits the constituency. In addition, he pointed out that, at 72, he is still a lot younger than United States President Joe Biden. “If an aged man like Joe Biden can lead one of the strongest countries like America as the President, then why would a 72-year-old man like me bother about such comments made by rivals?”
