Meghalaya: VPP rules out Mukul Sangma tie-up, says party will not compromise ideology for 2028 gains

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Even as the Voice of the People’s Party (VPP) intensifies its groundwork in the Garo Hills ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections, its president, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, has categorically ruled out any political overture to Dr Mukul Sangma, asserting that the party will not induct leaders merely for electoral arithmetic. Making it clear that the VPP is “not leaderless in Garo Hills”, Basaiawmoit underlined that the party’s expansion strategy will be guided strictly by ideology and principle rather than personality-driven politics.

Responding to queries on whether the VPP had approached Dr Mukul Sangma, who continues to wield influence in the region, Basaiawmoit said the party will not induct any existing leaders from Garo Hills belonging to the NPP, TMC or Congress merely for the sake of winning elections.

Expounding on the party’s political philosophy, Basaiawmoit said it does not permit opportunistic alignments. “The VPP is a new political party altogether. As we have repeatedly expressed, and as I have mentioned many times before, the Voice of the People’s Party is not just a political party to win elections. Winning elections is one objective of the party, but our first intention is to make people more politically conscious. We want to create awareness about electoral politics and the duties of political parties. The party’s principles and the approach we are taking are different from those of other political parties. Many political parties may do anything for the sake of winning, but we will not do anything that goes against the principles of the party; it is completely different for us. Unless a person completely understands and subscribes to the beliefs, principles and ideology of the party, we will not even enrol them. We fight to win and hope to win, but we are not going to do anything merely to secure victory.”

When asked directly whether the party had approached Dr Mukul Sangma, he replied, “We do not believe in that kind of simple political calculation. We believe in a different way of practising politics, where you see a strong and emerging leadership, as in the Khasi Hills. We are definitely not going to be leaderless in Garo Hills; there will be leaders, but it is too early for us to discuss all this.”

The VPP president said he has been making frequent visits to the Garo Hills as part of a sustained outreach campaign. “I have been visiting Garo Hills frequently in recent months because we want the people there to know and understand our objectives, our aims, our goals and our principles; that is our first mission. They should also understand that VPP truly represents regionalism in the state and that we will not compromise the interests of the indigenous people. Through the kind of awareness campaign we are undertaking in Garo Hills, I am happy to say that the response so far has been very positive, and the people of Garo Hills are looking at the Voice of the People’s Party as the only regional party that is genuinely concerned about the tribal interests of Meghalaya.”

Projecting a direct contest in the next Assembly polls, Basaiawmoit said, “We are forecasting that the fight in 2028 will be between NPP and VPP. As of now, there is a perception that VPP will perform better in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and NPP in Garo Hills, but I am telling you that the situation will be entirely different once we enter the elections.”

When asked about the future of the Congress and Dr Mukul Sangma in the evolving political landscape, the VPP chief maintained that no party can be dismissed outright. “In politics, you cannot write off any party. It depends on how people accept the narrative, the issues and the ideology. We are a party guided by principles, ideology and issues, and we are not going to compromise on that.”

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