The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has effectively laid out the welcome mat for Dr Mukul Sangma, with the former’s state president Rikman Momin saying that it would be a “great pleasure” if the former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader joins the saffron fold.
Momin, however, said that he has no idea if there are discussions about whether Dr Sangma and the other TMC legislators will join the BJP.
Momin was reacting to recent news reports that claimed four TMC legislators were desperate to change their political fortunes by joining the BJP bandwagon. Dr Sangma is said to have initiated the merger move himself. The veteran legislator, however, has denied making such moves on several occasions.
One obstacle, though, seems to be Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma of the National People’s Party. He would perhaps not want to see his old rival join a party that is in his governing alliance and has reportedly moved his Assam counterpart, Himanta Biswa Sarma, arguably the strongest BJP face in the North East, to quash any chance of Dr Sangma joining the saffron fold.
Meanwhile, Momin said that the party was prepared for the Lok Sabha elections as well as the autonomous district council polls scheduled for next year.
“Our members are still there (in the mandals) and only the (state) office bearers have changed. All mandals still exist. So we don’t have to worry much about it,” Momin told reporters at the state BJP office when he announced the composition of the new state executive committee.
Without divulging much, he said that some candidates have approached the party to be nominated for the Shillong and Tura Lok Sabha seats but the party has a procedure to follow and is not bothered that other political parties, like the NPP, have already named their candidate/s.
“My duty is only to forward those names who have applied for the tickets,” the state BJP president said.
The state BJP president while evaluating the performance of Tura MP, Agatha K Sangma, stated that he does not think she has done a great job because the people are yet to receive more central schemes.
Momin also said that the newly appointed state executive committee of the party if there is any complaint of corruption in the state the BJP which has zero tolerance on it and if there are such cases it will take up.
