Assembly elections: Newcomer TMC awaits Conrad Sangma’s NPP in battle for Meghalaya

Cut to 2023 and the grand old party, which has ruled Meghalaya for most of the state’s 50-year history, has slipped to oblivion. Much has to do with the entry of the TMC, which has managed to wean away a huge chunk of the Congress legislators. In a dramatic entry in November 2021, the TMC, which had no footprint in the state, became the principal Opposition when as many as 12 Congress MLAs led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma joined the party.

Observers in Meghalaya said the TMC, courtesy of the popularity of Mukul Sangma — who is a stalwart in state politics, particularly in the Garo Hills — is likely to be the main challenger to the NPP.

The NPP — led by Conrad Sangma, son of former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Sangma — seems to have its task cut out. Its five years in power have been marked by multiple law-and-order breakdowns, including border clashes with neighbouring Assam, and ethnic flare-ups. It is also battling allegations of nepotism and corruption.

Even so, the party has also managed to draw to its fold many sitting MLAs ahead of the election. One of them, Ampareen Lyngdoh, who was with the Congress, admitted that while there had been law-and-order crises, the government was able to “handle it and wrap these situations up quickly”. “For the law-and-order situations all the coalition partners should take responsibility equally, not just NPP,” she said, adding that the Home portfolio — under which law and order falls — was held by coalition partner United Democratic Party.

The NPP’s relationship with its alliance partners has been strained. Ties with the BJP have particularly soured in recent times. Ampareen, however, played down the alleged tension. “In the middle of any election, it is natural for parties to supersede each other, but one should remember that post-election any combination is possible,” she said.

For the BJP, while welfare schemes from the Centre have been received favourably, it has yet to shrug off its “anti-Christian” image in the Christian-majority state. BJP’s Sanbor Shullai, however, rubbished that claim as “propaganda” by other political parties. “BJP Is not anti-Christian. Even Christian states like Nagaland have elected BJP,” he said, adding that people have recognised the “good work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. “We are accepted now,” he said. Observers say the BJP may truly be better placed than in 2018, but point out that the party has no local face it can project unlike the NPP and the TMC.

However, the TMC also has its own image problems. It is viewed by many as a “Bengali party” in a state where local tribals have often sparred with the Bengali community. However, Mukul Sangma’s presence may offset some of those concerns.

“We are a young party but, despite that, we have been able to field as many as 52 candidates … this shows that there is acceptance and that we are a strong force,” said TMC vice-president George Lyngdoh. “Had people seen us as a Bengali party, we would not have been able to field so many candidates …This is just a ploy by the opposition to disillusion people.”

The party, which is hoping to do well in the 24 seats of the Garo Hills region, has launched an aggressive campaign, promising schemes for women and youth if elected to power. Party supremo Mamata Banerjee held a rally in North Garo Hills on Wednesday.

On the other hand, the Congress campaign has been muted. The party has only announced 40 candidates so far, with many observers pointing out that they may be struggling to find suitable candidates. For the first time, it is going into a poll in the state without a sitting MLA.