It takes a special kind of doublethink for two political parties to maintain that their alliance is hail and hearty even as they say that they will fight against each other in the next election, as the United Democratic Party (UDP) and Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) did today.
To be fair, alliance partners often contest against each other – parties in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (which controls the state government) ran against each other, belittling, criticising and demonising their allies in the run-up to the 2023 state election but then quickly made peace once the results were in.
But the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA), comprising the UDP and HSPDP, was supposed to be different. The raison d’etre of these two parties is to provide a more local voice in the halls of power, rather than those of national parties that are ultimately run from New Delhi or elsewhere. Thus the RDA, an alliance within the MDA, was formed and the two sides were able to agree to a seat-sharing formula in past years. Not this time, however.
With elections on the horizon for the KHADC and JHADC, the two parties have decided – at a meeting held here today – to go it alone, which surely is against the very purpose of the RDA.
Naturally, the politicians tried to spin the news and avoid any mention of disagreement.
RDA chairman and UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh told reporters after the meeting that both the parties will fight against each other but maintained that this will not affect the alliance and that the coalition is united.
According to him, while party leaders have in the past decided in favour of seat-sharing and cross voting, party workers at the grassroots have not been so easily convinced in supporting those of the other side.
Lyngdoh made it clear that the spirit of cooperation between the two parties is still strong and in future these regional parties will still work together.
He also said that the decision to go separately in the district council polls was arrived at with clear understanding without any differences between both the UDP and the HSPDP.
“There is no fissure or misunderstanding between the two parties,” Lyngdoh said.
He also said that the RDA is still alive because the people of the state want unity among the regional parties. Lyngdoh also invited other regional parties to join the RDA and work together, though after today the others might wonder what the point of that would be.
