Shillong: United Democratic Party (UDP) MLA Paul Lyngdoh on Wednesday described the Voice of People Party (VPP) as a political party confined to one district and labeled Congress as a spent force.
His assertion comes at a time when the poll battle for the Shillong parliamentary seat has turned politically exciting with a total of five candidates in the fray for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
The UDP has an alliance with HSPDP called the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) and has put up an RDA candidate, Robertjune Kharjahrin.
Lyngdoh claims the UDP is the leading regional party in the Khasi and Jaintia region. He said the fact that they have 12 MLAs and have won one-third of the constituencies in this region speaks volumes.
“At one point, seven out of seven constituencies in Jaintia hills were won by the UDP. Now if you compare it to NPP, they have won only a minuscule number of seats, even in the ADCs. Initially, UDP had the numbers, but due to the absence of the 10th schedule, there was a lot of floor crossing leading to NPP today leading the EC in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC),” said Lyngdoh.
Concerning the Shillong Parliamentary Seat, once a Congress bastion, Lyngdoh said it used to be, but the dynamics of politics in India have changed tremendously, which will be a boon for a party and an alliance like theirs.
“Because, on one hand, there’s an aversion towards the BJP, which is obvious. The fact that they didn’t put up a candidate in Meghalaya shows that they know it’s pointless,” said Lyngdoh.
He added that VPP is a newcomer in electoral politics that doesn’t have any presence except in the East Khasi Hills district. “Hence, it can’t even call itself a regional party; it is not even a state-wise party; it’s a district-wise party. So, you understand the ramifications of that statement. We are fighting in an environment where the leading national party (BJP) is not contesting the elections; NPP has chosen to ally with that party. Meghalaya has always voted against BJP. Congress is a spent force; VPP has a presence only in East Khasi Hills, so who has better chances? I leave that upon your analysis,” stated the UDP MLA.
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