Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, the lone Congress legislator in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, has justified his decision to support TMC Parliamentary Party leader Dr. Mukul Sangma for the post of Leader of the Opposition (LO) as part of the collaborative strategy between opposition TMC and Congress in Meghalaya. Elaborating further, Lyngdoh emphasized the critical role of the LO in ensuring representation within key state bodies, such as the State Security Commission.
Speaking to media persons after the TMC officially staked its claim for the LO post, Lyngdoh highlighted the necessity of filling the position. “The post of the LO is very important. For example, with the establishment of the State Security Commission, if there is no LO, then there will be no representation from the opposition on the Commission, which is crucial. The presence of the Opposition ensures balanced representation,” the Congress MLA asserted.
Lyngdoh further elaborated on the collaborative strategy between Congress and the TMC. “Dr. Mukul Sangma and I, along with the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), decided to come together to ensure that the LO post is not left vacant. Given that Dr. Sangma is the senior-most leader with the largest group in the Opposition—there are five of them, and with me, it becomes six—we have proposed that he take the LO position. I hope the Speaker will agree to our proposal.”
He also addressed speculation regarding his potential role as the Opposition Chief Whip, confirming, “It is our understanding that since we have come together, they will take the post of LO, and the Congress will take the post of Opposition Chief Whip.”
Lyngdoh added, “We have written to the Speaker, and now it’s up to the Speaker’s prerogative to accept our proposal.”
Additionally, Lyngdoh mentioned that after the Autumn session of the Assembly, the Congress plans to hold a meeting to discuss the future of the three MLAs who recently merged with the National People’s Party (NPP). The party may pursue legal action against the two suspended Congress legislators, Charles Marngar (Mawhati) and Gabriel Wahlang (Nongstoin), as well as Congress MLA Dr. Celestine Lyngdoh (Umsning).