The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saw its state membership grow today, as hundreds of former members of other political parties joined the saffron organisation.
According to state BJP president Ernest Mawrie, those who joined came to the party fold from KHNAM, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress Party, mostly from East and North Shillong constituencies.
The BJP’s lone cabinet minister, Sanbor Shullai, requested the new members to encourage their family, friends and neighbours to join the BJP for the overall development of the state.
Meanwhile Mawrie today maintained that his term as the state BJP president will end in 2023 and any early demitment will only be decided by the party’s central leadership.
Earlier this week, BJP national vice-president and the member in charge of Meghalaya, Chuba Ao, had said that Mawrie should resign to avoid catastrophe for the party. He had even accused Mawrie of potentially being a plant by a rival party to destabilise the BJP.
Today, Mawrie said that if he resigns from the state party leadership, it will not be based “on the statements of somebody” and said that the matter lies with the party high command.
He further stated that the central party leadership has given him the green signal to continue.
Yesterday, Shullai said that to ditch Mawrie now, just a few months before the next state elections, would be “suicidal” for the party.
