SHILLONG:
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) will not have any alliance with the political parties that are a part of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) and is most likely to go solo in the upcoming 2023 assembly polls.
Informing that, the leader of the opposition, Mukul Sangma, after a meeting of the party on April 23, said, “In Meghalaya, Trinamool will go alone in the polls. We will field candidates but AITC will not have alliance with any political parties who are part of this government.”
Brushing off reports that the party has approached the United Democratic Party (UDP) and others to topple the Conrad Sangma-led government, Mukul asked, “Who from the AITC has approached them?”
The former chief minister further claimed that over 72 to 75 per cent of the people of state want that this government to go. “Therefore, how will the AITC do justice to the aspirations of the people if we associate ourselves with any political party in the ruling dispensation? The point is to feel the pulse of the people and connect to it. We must understand why people have this feeling about this government and why they are expecting a change at the helm,” he said.
He also dismissed any chance of partnering with his former party Congress ahead of the elections. “AITC will not partner with any party in the ruling dispensation and that includes the Congress. Please remember, the Congress too is very much a part of the government,” said the Songsak legislator.
Revealing the reason behind the decision to not ally, Mukul said that political parties which are part of the ruling dispensation have the baggage of their wrongdoings.
“Therefore, we will have to be very clear. We must be able to give people a very clear choice; we cannot confuse people and vitiate the political environment of the state. If the people choose to be with the ruling dispensation, at the end of the day the mandate will speak,” he said.
Informing that the AITC discussed poll strategies ahead of the 2023 elections in Saturday’s meeting, Mukul said, “We have planned out certain strategies as we embark upon political activities to ensure that the party organisations are put in place across the state.”
Refusing to share more details on the meeting, Sangma said these are internal exercises but the overall strategy of the party to organize it at the grassroot level was discussed.
The former chief minister also hinted that, ahead of the polls, some leaders may join the AITC and reiterated that, ahead of polls, the political climate of the state is that of uncertainty. “Some members from the opposite camp probably will be joining other political parties. In the outset, it might seem like nothing is clear, but we know exactly what is happening at ground zero,” he said.
He further added that the party is ready for any eventuality in case of any AITC leader defecting to other political parties. “Some of the political parties are on an induction drive. I saw lots of media reports and that is why we are also formulating our own strategy. There will definitely be surprises and I will not rule out the possibility of leaders changing sides before the polls,” he said.