Shillong: UDP MLA and former cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh on Tuesday said the regional party could be left with no more than two MLAs during the current Assembly tenure, amid speculation that several UDP legislators may move to the BJP.
“I do not know because whatever inputs which 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.
His statement comes amid reports that eight or nine UDP leaders are preparing to join the BJP, raising questions over the future of the regional party and Meghalaya’s political landscape.
Lyngdoh said he was consulting his supporters and had not ruled out any option, including joining the 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.
Asked whether he was considering joining the BJP, Lyngdoh said, “We have left no options closed.”
He said the sentiments and aspirations of the people of his constituency and the state would have to be considered before taking a decision.
Lyngdoh described the developments as a “major tectonic shift” in Meghalaya politics, saying the reported movement of eight or nine leaders of an established regional party to the BJP would have an impact on the electorate.
“Don’t forget that 12 numbers is one-third of the assembly constituencies of Eastern Meghalaya comprising Khasi and Jaintia Hills. So it’s a major tectonic shift,” he said.
Lyngdoh said the 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 necessarily 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.
“I have never expressed any desire to be Deputy Chief Minister,” he said, adding that discussions on sharing responsibilities or power were premature.
He said UDP MLA Lahkmen Rymbui, who has been leading discussions involving seven other MLAs, would be better placed to provide updates on the matter.
Lyngdoh said his role had been to warn the party that things were amiss.
“The writing on the wall is very clear that there is a deep divide that will one day cause this party very…” he said.
He pointed to the party’s Foundation Day, saying an MLA had revealed that they were ready to leave the UDP for a larger national party.
The former minister also questioned the party leadership over the loss of senior leaders, including Bindo Lanong, Jemino Mawthoh, Lambor Malngiang and Dr Aman War, as well as the HSPDP as an alliance partner.
“Why did we lose Bindo Lanong, Jemino Mawthoh, Lambor Malngiang, Dr Aman War, one year after the other? Why did we lose HSPDP as an alliance partner, which we have worked together with several decades together?” he asked.
He also referred to the collapse of the Regional Parties Alliance and questioned who should take responsibility for it.
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 F A 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 when things were still, 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 and me?” he said.
The developments have put the future of the UDP under renewed scrutiny, with Lyngdoh’s comments adding to uncertainty over the party’s strength and the wider regional political space in Meghalaya.
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