Incumbent Shillong MP Vincent Pala of the Congress Party has predicted that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be cut down to only 200 seats at the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Although that would still be an impressive number after 10 years in charge, Pala believes that such a figure will be proof of a rejection by the people of India, who will support the Congress because they are tired of the polarising reign of the BJP.
An MP since 2009, Pala is seeking a fourth term for the Congress in Shillong, a seat they have held in Parliament for nearly three decades.
While the BJP is the major player nationally, the saffron party has chosen not to field a candidate in either of Meghalaya’s two Lok Sabha seats, preferring instead to support coalition ally the National People’s Party (NPP).
With the two working together, Pala trained his guns on the NPP at a campaign rally in Iooksi, West Jaintia Hills.
The NPP and BJP are working hand in glove and share the same policies and ideologies, Pala stated.
While the Congress is a party that believes in secularism and equal employment opportunities, the MP pointed to the Uniform Civil Code and rising economic inequality as hallmarks of a divisive BJP.
He opined that only the Congress can protect and fight against the suppression of the BJP in Parliament.
Pala also claimed that he brought many developments, including roads and educational institutions, to his constituency over the years and talked about the Congress’s manifesto and its various schemes to aid farmers in the state.
