Editor
With each passing day, we are witnessing mass exodus of leaders from different political parties, shifting camps and owing allegiance to another party, especially to the National People’s Party. The reason for this decision may be the fact that the Congress and other regional parties are going through a tough time in making their presence felt. The other might be the urge to be on the winning side no matter what comes their way.
“Life is politics, you do it or it does you” is exactly what is on the leaders’ mind at this crucial juncture of their journey as the Assembly elections are less than a year away.
Every leader would want to be part of the winning team and in the current political scenario in the state, joining the NPP would be considered as the smartest move to make. The scenario might have been different, though had Mukul Sangma and his followers not taken the bold step to ditch the Congress party to join the AITC. The move seemed to be really grand and effective at first, but with the passage of time and looking at the current political game, I would say that it was one of the biggest blunders that happened in such a short span of time. The decision not only created differences in the opposition but it has more or less neutralized the Congress in the state. Once the Congress was a formidable force with 17 MLAs in the opposition, which was a really good number. This division led to the remaining Congress MLAs shifting allegiance to the NPP, which is another setback for the AITC since the opposition bench has been reduced to a mere 12 MLAs out of the 60 members. And this may certainly see a decline in the coming elections as most of the leaders are not very keen on joining the Mukul Sangma-led party.
So, what’s in store for the former chief minister and his team? Will their bold decision to join the AITC bring forth miracles or will it all go in vain? Will the party be able to give a tough fight to the UDP and the incumbent NPP or will the party be reduced to a single digit number? At present the number of leaders joining the NPP gives the public an impression that the party might emerge as a single majority.
Though one cannot be certain in politics as the tide might change, but it is less likely to happen. The people of the state has seen how the Mukul Sangma-led government had functioned, so simply changing the party’s flag will not boost his image. All we can do is wait and watch!
Jordan Diengdoh
Shillong