Shylla shifts political allegiance, again

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Oct 27: Only time will say whether there will be any more twist in veteran politician Hispreachingson Shylla’s political career. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavour”.

Certainly, apart from defection by sitting legislators, the flavour this election season in Meghalaya is Shylla’s propensity to change parties at the drop of a hat.

And so on Thursday, Shylla, who is a Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) member, joined the tiol People’s Party (NPP) without any prior hint.

It may be mentioned that this is Shylla’s third shift of political allegiance ever since he won the 2016 KHADC by-election from Nongkrem.

He joined United Democratic Party (UDP) in July last year and was elected as KHADC member in the December 2016 by-election. On August 30 this year, he joined the newly-formed People’s Democratic Front (PDF).

Earlier, Shylla had officially distanced himself from active politics but returned to fight the KHADC by-poll in December 2016.

Justifying his entry into the NPP on Thursday, Shylla said that no one can deny the fact that the wave across the state is in favour of the NPP.

“The popularity of the NPP is not restricted only to Garo Hills, but it has slowly spread even to Khasi-Jaintia Hills, especially in the last few months. I can only say that the party is on the road to form of a non-Congress government in Meghalaya after the elections,” Shylla said while talking to newsmen after formally being enrolled as a primary member of the party.

When asked if leaving the ruling PDF-led Executive Committee (EC) in the KHADC would mean withdrawing support, Shylla said he will continue to extent support to Council’s Chief Executive Member PN Syiem.

Shylla also informed newsmen that around five to six members in the KHADC are set to join the NPP, adding that they would soon constitute the parliamentary party of the party in the KHADC as per the directive of the party leadership.

“Only after the formation of the parliamentary party we will decide together whether we will continue to support the EC led Syiem,” Shylla added.