Meghalaya TMC to decide future strategy by year-end, says Charles Pyngrope amid merger rumours

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Amid heightened political speculation over the future of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Meghalaya and persistent rumours of defections ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections, Meghalaya TMC president and senior legislator Charles Pyngrope on Wednesday said the party would take a considered call on its future political strategy only by the end of the year.

He ruled out any immediate merger, alliance shift or exodus to rival political formations and said the party leadership would undertake a comprehensive assessment of its organisational strength and electoral prospects before deciding its next course of action.

Pyngrope said the TMC would review its position after the proposed Lok Sabha by-election to the Shillong Parliamentary constituency, the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections and other organisational developments.

"There is no indication of TMC leaders merging with Congress or the ruling NPP. After the MP by-election and district council elections in Garo Hills, we can sit together and decide how to move forward. Any such decision will only be taken by the end of the year, which will give us ample time before the 2028 Assembly elections," he said.

The remarks come amid growing speculation over the future of the Meghalaya unit of the TMC and recurring rumours involving Leader of the Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma.

Responding to suggestions that leaders might leave the party, Pyngrope said political developments could work both ways and that new entrants could also join the organisation.

He argued that the TMC remained one of the few political parties capable of raising issues concerning Meghalaya in Parliament due to its presence in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

"Even the inclusion of Khasi and Garo in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution was first raised in Parliament by the TMC," he claimed.

On speculation surrounding Dr Mukul Sangma's political future, Pyngrope dismissed the rumours as repetitive and baseless.

"I have heard all these rumours since last year. Has anything happened?" he asked.

Asked whether he would continue with the TMC if Dr Mukul Sangma floated a separate party, Pyngrope reaffirmed his loyalty to the organisation.

"I switched to the TMC for certain reasons and I will remain loyal to this party as long as I feel I can contribute significantly to its growth," he said.

Rejecting suggestions that the party's electoral setbacks elsewhere had weakened its position in Meghalaya, Pyngrope maintained that each election is shaped by different factors and that developments in West Bengal had not adversely affected the party in the state.

"Every election brings setbacks, but that does not mean the party has been negatively impacted in other states where it exists," he said.

Pyngrope said he remained in regular contact with leaders overseeing Meghalaya under the leadership of Abhishek Banerjee and intended to visit Kolkata to discuss the future roadmap of the state unit with the national leadership.

He denied suggestions that the party's central leadership had become disengaged from Meghalaya and said communication with the Kolkata headquarters remained active.

On reports of factionalism within the TMC, Pyngrope said the Meghalaya unit had not experienced any fallout from developments in West Bengal.

"As of now, we have not felt any repercussions in Meghalaya," he said.

The Meghalaya TMC chief also revealed that the party would undertake a detailed organisational audit to assess its actual strength in constituencies across Khasi and Jaintia Hills where it contested the 2023 Assembly elections.

The exercise, he said, would be carried out in consultation with Dr Mukul Sangma, party legislators and organisational leaders.

"We need to ascertain where the party remains a force to be reckoned with. That exercise has to be undertaken," he said.

Seeking to counter perceptions of organisational decline, Pyngrope asserted that the party remained largely intact and claimed that nearly 80 per cent of the leaders who contested the 2023 Assembly elections continued to remain with the TMC.

Commenting on former TMC leader Susmita Dev's move to the BJP, Pyngrope termed it a personal political decision.

"She was an MP from Congress, then from TMC and now she has joined the BJP. She should be asked that question," he said.

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