EXCLUSIVE
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Meghalaya Pradesh Congress committee President Vincent H Pala on Tuesday admitted the mass exodus of legislators from the party in Meghalaya after he took over the presidency of the party has caused him setbacks.
The three times Member of Parliament from the Shillong Parliamentary seat Vincent H Pala was defeated by the Voice of the People Party (VPP) candidate Dr Ricky AJ Syngkon in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Talking to Meghalaya News 24, Pala said, “Definitely (it cause setback) because like I said to groom a leader it takes time and when Dr Mukul left with the 11 MLAs, they took along all the party workers when 5 MLAs left they took all the party workers, it takes time.”
Stating that the party could be revamp in Garo Hills, Pala said not enough time is found to revamp it in Khasi Jaintia Hills.
“I have seen in Garo Hills after everybody left , we got the opportunity to revamp the party, so here also as everybody left, the mandate of MP is not the same as MLA, same for MDCs, now for another 4 years or 4 and half years because the delimitation will be there, we will reposition ourselves,” he added.
He said, after the Lok Sabha elections the party will groom young leaders in the state.
“ I am very confident that in 2028 we should come with a good numbers of MLAs because we will be strong in Garo Hills also and we will reposition ourselves here also,” the MPCC president said.
“Maximum of the people who left us from the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and maximum of the MDCs were being taken away eg Mawkyrwat, Mairang and from Jaintia Hills they left us in the last moment and that has demoralised the voters, demoralised the workers and created a perception that the congress is not strong enough. Definitely this cost us,” he added.
Talking about the results, the former Shillong MP said, “I don’t have any worry, rather I expected this result because the government has targeted our people you know that the MLAs have been taken away, the MDCs have been taken away. We have been targeted by the government. When I campaigned in the grassroot because of the Legislative elections and the by elections, we didnot had enough time to organised ourselves or promote young people. Whereas in Garo Hills we did so and somehow we managed. I am grateful to the people of Garo Hills at the same time.”
Asked if the party will invite the leaders who left to join back, Pala said, “It doesn’t depend on me alone when you bring any people who left us especially the MLAs, we have to get approval from Delhi so we will sit as a team and decide and not alone.”