EXCLUSIVE
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Trinamool Congress (TMC) Meghalaya President Charles Pyngrope has asserted that the Congress party should not be underestimated despite currently holding only one seat in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. He highlighted the party’s substantial vote share, suggesting that Congress could make a strong comeback.
Refuting claims made by NPP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, who recently predicted that Congress would be “wiped out” from Meghalaya, Pyngrope defended his former party. “If you recall, there was a time when the NPP had only two members in the house, but they have come back. That question could have been raised then as well, but today they have 31 members on their own. So, they have a lot of time to regroup; it’s only 2024, and there are still three and a half years left,” he stated.
Pyngrope further emphasized that Congress has not lost its footing in the state, noting, “Congress, irrespective of the number of seats they have in the house, if you see the vote share, it’s quite high, very high in fact. So, you cannot underestimate Congress—it will bounce back.”
This comes after the recent merger of three Congress MLAs—Dr Celestine Lyngdoh (Umsning), Charles Marngar (Mawhati), and Gabriel Wahlang (Nongstoin)—with the National People’s Party (NPP) on August 19. As a result, senior Congress legislator and Congress Legislative Party leader Ronnie V Lyngdoh remains the lone Congress MLA in the Assembly. The NPP’s strength now stands at 31 in the 59-member House.