Cabinet minister and United Democratic Party legislator Lahkmen Rymbui paid Congress rival Dr Mukul Sangma a compliment today by saying that the ex-Chief Minister is still a major force to reckon with in state politics.
The comment came a day after the results of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) polls were announced, where the Congress emerged as the single biggest party, with 12 seats, while the UDP, which was bullish about winning a few, was left disappointed with zero.
The results clearly show that there is life in the Congress yet and more so in the leadership of Dr Sangma, whom many within his own party have criticised over the years, if unofficially.
“Within the Congress they thought that Dr Mukul is gone. ‘We can do away with him.’ From these results the Congress should realise that Mukul still has weight,” Rymbui said. “They cannot just throw him out of the party. He is still a force to reckon with. This is my personal opinion for the Congress to think about.”
When asked about the underwhelming performance of his own party, Rymbui, said that the voters of Garo Hills are attracted by strong leaders and national parties.
The UDP has a weak organisation in Garo Hills, with its senior figures largely drawn from Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills. Although these personalities were used in extensive campaigning for the GHADC election, they obviously had little impact.
Rymbui stated that since the time of Meghalaya’s first Chief Minister, Captain Williamson A Sangma, Purno A Sangma, Dr Sangma and current Chief Minister (and son of Purno) Conrad K Sangma, Garo Hills’ voters have always plumped for a strong leader.
He was also happy that his regional party, though without winning any, managed to finish in respectable positions in several seats, though Rymbui did not hide his personal disappointment at the results.
