In Meghalaya. 12 MLAs including former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma join Trinamool Congress

 Bhupen Goswami

GUWAHATI: The Trinamool Congress is gearing up to strengthen its presence in the north-eastern states. The party has again focused on the north-eastern states after a landslide victory in Bengal recently. In Tripura, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, the party has been contesting elections in the past and has also won seats. But the Trinamool has weakened due to the bjp’s strong grip over the past few years. According to Trinamool Congress sources, Manipur and Tripura are the states where the party got six to ten per cent votes in the previous elections. It is only through the good votes polled in these states that the party has got the status of a national party, which is expected to get more than 6 per cent votes in three states.

The Congress has weakened ever since the Modi government at the Centre came to power. It is due to lack of leadership in the Congress that the opposition at the national level is completely scattered today. Taking advantage of the Congress situation, Mamata Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress is constantly cutting the roots of the Congress. After states like Tripura, Goa, the TMC itself has become the main opposition party by breaking the Congress in Meghalaya. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s focus is on national level politics and the weak leadership of the Congress is proving to be a challenge for her. In fact, the Congress suffered another major setback when 12 out of 18 Congress MLAs joined the Trinamool Congress in Meghalaya. [} In The North East, Trinamool Congress in-charge Rajya Sabha MP Susmita Deb said here today that 12 out of 18 Congress MLAs including former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma have joined trinamool Congress.

With this, trinamool Congress has now become the main opposition party in Meghalaya. According to MP Susmita Deb, all these MLAs joined the TMC in Shillong. It is understood that everything was not going well between Vincent H Pala and former chief minister and Congress legislature party leader Mukul M Sangma after he was made the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee chief. Last month, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also met Mukul Sangma and state Congress president Vincent H Pala together. After Pala’s appointment, Sangma had said that the party leadership did not consult him in this regard. Since then, Sangma was expected to join the TMC and now a total of 12 MLAs, including Sangma, have changed their ways to give a big blow to the Congress. Leader of opposition in the Assembly Sangma was reportedly unhappy with the top Congress leadership. Meanwhile, Congress MLA H M Shangpliang said 12 PARTY MLAs will join trinamool congress (TMC) in the state.