It looks like the HSPDP has become a liability to the UDP when it comes to the recent Lok Sabha election from Shillong seat.
The two parties are partners in the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) and have fielded Robertjune Kharjahrin as the candidate for the Lok Sabha poll. Kharjahrin contested on the UDP symbol.
However, the HSPDP could not contribute much in terms of votes if the poll results are any indication.
In the Shillong seat with 36 Assembly constituencies, the RDA has a combined strength of 14 legislators. The UDP has 12 MLAs while the HSPDP has two.
Kharjahrin polled a total of 44,563 votes and was placed at a distant fourth position.
The two HSPDP MLAs are Shakliar Warjri (Mawthadraishan) and Methodius Dkhar (Mawshynrut). But their combined vote share for the alliance’s candidate was only 1480.
These two HSPDP legislators were nowhere to be seen during the campaign for Kharjahrin. Only HSPDP president K P Pangniang and a few other party leaders took part in the campaign.
It may be mentioned that in 2023 after the Assembly election when other political parties tried to cobble up a coalition sans the NPP and BJP, both the HSPDP legislators, a pre-poll partner of the UDP, went missing.
The two HSPDP MLAs in the morning of March 3, 2023 went to UDP leader Lahkmen Rymbui’s residence in Laitumkhrah but after a few hours, they left the premises and went missing to later on pledge their support to the NPP led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government.
From Mawthadraishan constituency, the RDA candidate polled only 840 votes while from Mawshynrut constituency, the alliance’s candidate got a mere 620 votes.
Voice of the People Party (VPP) candidate, Ricky Andrew J. Syngkon, who won from the Shillong seat, got 25,595 votes from Mawthadraishan and 11,769 votes from Mawshynrut.
Even from Rambrai-Jyrngam constituency, from which HSPDP president, KP Pangniang was once a legislator, the RDA candidate polled only 1039 votes.
When asked about the RDA candidate’s poor showing, Pangniang refused to make any comment.
