Will Meghalaya Opposition be united?

From our

Correspondent

SHILLONG, May 22: With elections to the Meghalaya Assembly just a little over two years from now, the million dollar question playing in everyone’s mind is whether the opposition will unite to oust the Congress from power in the state. It may be mentioned that during the Tura Lok Sabha by-poll all the regiol parties of the state and the BJP rallied around tiol People’s Party (NPP) candidate Conrad K Sangma. The BJP had offered unstinted support to Conrad during the by-poll. The NPP is in fact an ally of the BJP in the NDA government at the Centre.

However, Congress workers are skeptical at such a proposition. “Look at the situation now in the current House, the opposition is divided and I don’t think anything will change on the eve of Assembly polls,” a Congress worker said.

“It is unlikely too that they will play second fiddle to each other,” he added.

Meghalaya People’s Forum (MPF) led Opposition is a divided house after two Independents withdrew their support to the Forum in September, 2015 leaving with only 10 members, 8 UDP and 2 NPP. It may be pointed out that two independent legislators from Garo Hills, John Leslee K Sangma (Tura South) and Gambegre MLA Saleng Sangma who had walked out of the opposition alliance sided with the Congress for the Tura Lok Sabha by-poll.

Both Independent legislators had campaigned for PA Sangma in the 2014 elections and were known for taking on the government as opposition members in the state assembly. The HSPDP too with four MLAs who are sitting in the opposition bench is not part of the MPF.