Shillong, Oct 25: Former Rajya Sabha MP and ex-National People’s Party (NPP) Meghalaya president, Wanweiroy Kharlukhi, is set to announce his support for Congress Party candidate Vincent H Pala in the upcoming Lok Sabha by-election for the Shillong constituency.
The formal announcement of his support will be made during a press conference scheduled on Monday, organised by the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) here.
Both leaders are expected to address the media during the press conference.
Kharlukhi’s decision to support Pala comes a little more than two months after the former resigned from the NPP on August 24, bringing an end to his long-standing association with the party founded by the late Purno A Sangma and which is now led by his son Conrad K Sangma, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya.
Kharlukhi also served as the NPP’s state president and played a significant role in strengthening the party in the state.
He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020, and his term ended on June 21 this year. Kharlukhi did not seek reelection and James PK Sangma, elder son of Purno A Sangma, took over the seat.
Although Kharlukhi did not mention the underlying reasons for his resignation from the NPP in his resignation letter, his departure and subsequent decision have raised questions about the current situation within the party, which he helped strengthen and led for many years.
It had been rumoured that he was feeling sidelined within the NPP. In the last few years the Kharlukhi camp had reportedly become weaker, with a corresponding rise in power for the faction led by Sniawbhalang Dhar, who was elevated to the position of Deputy CM in 2023.
Kharlukhi’s decision to stand alongside Pala, who represented the Shillong seat in the Lok Sabha for three terms before losing the election in 2024, is expected to bring to light the reasons behind his support for the Congress candidate, as well as the circumstances that led him to leave the NPP.
The NPP is fielding academic and first time politician DR Lyngdoh Nonglait in the parliamentary by-poll. Dhar and other party figures have been campaigning on his behalf extensively. The election is expected to be held soon upon the conclusion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
