Shillong, Sep 15: West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh is practically counting down the days he remains in the embattled United Democratic Party (UDP) but is still not revealing to which party he will move to.
It is widely believed that Lyngdoh is one of the chief architects of the mass rebellion among legislators within the UDP yet, when speaking to journalists today, he continued to give an air of someone who is above the melee and horsetrading going on.
The former cabinet minister spoke abstractly of the UDP being reduced to one or two MLAs given the internal turmoil at the moment. The party currently has 12 legislators in the Assembly but eight or nine are in talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while two of the others are keen to side with the National People’s Party (NPP).
“Whatever inputs I have shared with you indicate that there will be not more than two members who will remain with the UDP in the current tenure,” Lyngdoh told reporters.
Lyngdoh also said he was in consultation with his supporters and had not ruled out any option, including moving to the Hindutva-centred BJP.
“I am in consultation with my supporters. There are various views, various points and the course of that interaction is still inconclusive. But at the appropriate point of time, I will certainly reveal my decision based on input, based on analysis, based on facts and figures, based on a study of what happens to Meghalaya politics post this major development,” he said.
He said the sentiments and aspirations of the people of his constituency and the state would have to be taken into account before taking a conscious decision.
Winning 12 seats in the 2023 state election represented one-third of the 36 constituencies in Khasi-Jaintia Hills, “so it’s a major tectonic shift,” he said.
Lyngdoh said the political developments could lead to two major outcomes – the emergence of a single regional party with the VPP having a clear possibility of rising, and a party that previously had two MLAs potentially increasing its strength to double figures. He said not all supporters of a regional party would readily embrace the BJP and that some could instead move towards a party that continues to fight for a regional front.
“Nature abhors a vacuum. Now a vacuum has been created. Who fills in that vacuum?” he asked.
On speculation about a possible power-sharing arrangement, Lyngdoh said he had never expressed any desire to become Deputy Chief Minister and discussion concerning new roles is premature.
Lyngdoh said his role had been to forewarn the UDP that things were amiss. He questioned the party leadership over the loss of senior leaders, including Bindo Lanong (a former Deputy Chief Minister), Jemino Mawthoh, Lambor Malngiang (both former MLAs) and Dr Aman Warr (an unsuccessful contestant in 2023), as well as the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) as an alliance partner.
“Why did we lose Bindo Lanong, Jemino Mawthoh, Lambor Malngiang, Dr Aman Warr, one year after the other? Why did we lose the HSPDP as an alliance partner, which we have worked with for several decades together?” he asked.
Despite his criticism, Lyngdoh said the UDP could not be written off.
“Nobody can write off a political party like that,” he said, citing the BJP’s growth from two Lok Sabha MPs in 1984 to becoming a national ruling party.
He also recalled former Meghalaya chief minister FA Khonglam, who was once a lone MLA but went on to become chief minister. “That’s politics,” Lyngdoh said.
On the possibility of a course correction within the UDP, Lyngdoh said he had raised concerns multiple times but questioned whether it was still possible to reverse the situation.
“Course correction would have been all right … even till the breaking point. Now the horses have already gone out and reached the field somewhere. Who do I do course correction with? The UDP president (Metbah Lyngdoh) and me?” he said.
