Shillong, Oct 28: In a boost for the struggling state Congress Party and a sign of trouble for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), former cabinet minister Zenith Sangma, whose brother is Leader of the Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma, has resigned from the TMC and is soon expected to rejoin the grand old party.
Zenith submitted his resignation letter to the TMC state president, Charles Pyngrope MLA today. A separate letter, from the All India Congress Committee, stated that Zenith’s return has been approved by the party.
The former Rangsakona MLA, who held the post of vice-president of the TMC Meghalaya unit, told Pyngrope that his decision has not been easy.
“Today, I feel it is the right moment for me to move on and begin a new chapter, one that aligns more closely with my personal vision and the aspirations I hold for the people I serve,” Zenith added.
The Congress will not be a wholly new chapter, however, given that Zenith was a member of the party until late 2021 when his brother led a mass defection of 12 MLAs to the TMC. However, partly hamstrung by perceptions that it is a “Bengali” party, the TMC failed to make inroads in Meghalaya and only won five seats in the 2023 Assembly election. Zenith was one of the casualties in the rout.
In the same election the Congress won five seats but its strength has dissipated to zero after one MLA, Saleng Sangma, became MP (and the Congress failed to hold his seat in the resulting by-election), while the remaining four legislators later quit to join the ruling National People’s Party.
The Congress Party’s ailing health in Meghalaya has partly been blamed on its state president, Vincent Pala, who went on to lose his parliamentary seat in the 2024 general election. There are strong suggestions that he may be replaced as president, which would be music to the ears of Mukul, whose reported antagonism for Pala spurred the 2021 defection.
Zenith’s rejoining may be a precursor to Mukul’s return to the fold. However, to avoid application of the anti-defection law, at least four of the five Trinamool MLAs will have to be onboard.
Mukul’s reintegration with the Congress may also not go down well with other personalities in the party. One of these might be the Tura MP Saleng, who came back to the party only after Mukul departed for the TMC. The Congress Party’s game of musical chairs may be far from over.
