Shillong, May 3: The Congress Party is likely to field Vincent Pala again in the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha by-election, party sources have told HP.
With the by-election being for a half term, sources said Pala is seen as the ideal candidate given his experience and knowledge of parliamentary procedures.
Pala was a three-term MP before being unseated in a spectacular election win for the Voice of the People Party (VPP) in the 2024 general election. The VPP’s Ricky AJ Syngkon won an absolute majority of votes, while Pala’s vote share crashed from 53.52 percent to under 20 percent as he shed more than 2 lakh votes. Syngkon’s sudden death in February has led to the need for a by-election.
“Given that he’s been there many years, most of the people in Delhi know him. That will make work much easier if he wins,” a party source said. “A new candidate would have to acclimatise to the functioning of Parliament and many new procedures.”
The party is looking for an MP who can follow up on pending issues like ILP and inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule.
“It is not about talking and flashing it on television and social media but about getting buy-in from fellow MPs,” the source said. “When a bill is introduced, all MPs should be on the same page. An MP who has already been there would know hundreds of MPs and can meet them individually to convince them. People are wise and would understand this.”
On the 2029 MP election, the source said that would be a “different topic,” but for now the party needs to send someone experienced.
However, discussions are still ongoing and nothing has been finalised as the election date has not been announced.
Asked about the VPP’s rising popularity and expected sympathy votes, the source said the VPP is “neither with the ruling side nor the opposition” in Parliament.
“Any system of democracy needs a strong opposition and the Congress is playing that role to ensure restraint from the Centre,” the source said. “The VPP does not want to play the role of the opposition, which is opportunistic and lacks a clear stand.”
