Meghalaya will go to polls on February 27 and the counting of votes will take place on March 2.
(File Photo: News18)
Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee working president Pynshngain N Syiem said barring the BJP, Congress is open to work with any political party
As Meghalaya is set to witness a muli-corner fight in February 27 elections, political parties are keeping their options open to stitch new alliances in case of a hung verdict.
Senior National People’s Party (NPP) leader and spokesperson Dr M Ampareen Lyngdoh said it is not time to show emotion in the post-election scenario. “In a situation of post-election scenario, I don’t think emotions will be at play, emotionally I may like or dislike a particular party looking at whatever parameters but if the numbers are not clearly defined by the electorates you must expect any combination,” he added.
Stating that the parties cannot choose and select, she recalled government formation in 2018 where Congress, being the single largest party, had to sit in the opposition.
“In 2023, if it is a fragmented mandate again, I do not wish to say this party will not work with that party or that party will not work with another party because, at the end of the day, the government continues and goes on in every state. Some political equation will have to be set, and whether all coalition partners are equally happy about whatever setting that has been proposed, I don’t think individual political parties will have the privilege of saying that no, we will not work with X, Y or Z,” the NPP leader said.
“I don’t think there are many parties left in the state that will have any definite numbers that will propose not to work with the XYZ party. It is also not healthy; yes few parties will sit in little compartments. We are not going to be proposing any kind of an equation, because it will not be in the fitness of the things to even talk about that, but if and when the situation arises, believe me, anybody will want to work with anybody to form the government,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) working president Pynshngain N Syiem said barring the BJP, Congress is open to work with any political party.
Stating that political parties are having a rift with each other, Syiem said, “Congress is in a very neutral position where it can work with any other party, even with the NPP, but not the BJP.”
He also pointed out that in a coalition government, the smaller party is more powerful than the larger party because it will play an important role in government formation.
“We are open to everyone, even the NPP but not with the BJP. In the coalition government, the smaller party is more powerful than the larger party because they cannot form the government without the support from the smaller parties,” he said.
The Congress leader also predicted that the 2018 kind of situation post-poll may emerge.
Interestingly, the United Democratic Party which is likely to play the role of ‘King Maker’ in the formation of new government is tight-lipped and has shown no ‘favouritism’ towards any political party.
However, both NPP and Trinamool Congress have not put up any candidate against UDP Chief Metbah Lyngdoh.
Meghalaya will go to polls on February 27 and the counting of votes will take place on March 2.
In 2018, Congress emerged as the single largest party but failed to secure a majority in the 60-member assembly. The BJP, which won only 2 seats, joined hands with the National People’s Party (NPP) to form the government in the state. But this time, NPP supremo and chief minister Conrad Sangma announced his party would contest the 2023 election alone. Trinamool Congress, which failed to open an account in the last polls, is also trying to make inroads in Meghalaya under the leadership of former CM Mukul Sangma.
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