Not all will leave Congress like Tynsong: Pala

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 15, 2021

MPCC chief Vincent H Pala on Monday said not everybody will desert the Congress like the deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong.

Reacting to Tynsong’s sinking ship remark against the party, Pala said, “Prestone can say anything. Because he left the party, he thought everybody will be like him but everybody will not be like Prestone.”

“We may have sinked in the last election but we are still strong. We might have lost the election but we have not lost the spirit as our people are more dedicated to the party. With this defeat, they have realized and woken up and have started organizing the party,” he added.

Pala also rejected the UDP chief adviser Bindo M Lanong’s prediction that the Congress will not come back to power in 2023.

“I don’t agree with that. That is why if you see the Congress has increased its vote share in all the three seats and there’s always a difference between the bye election and the general elections.

In the bye election normally there are less numbers of contestants whereas in the main elections, many candidates are there. So when there are many candidates, they are always in favour of the Congress, we have a vote bank in the grassroot so in the main election, we are totally going to do well.”

Asked how his party will ensure there is no exodus of leaders ahead of the 2023 elections, the MPCC president however said it is difficult to predict as one year is left before the general elections.

He said one or two may defect especially from Garo Hills but as of now majority of them will stay with the Congress.

“If somebody goes, somebody will also come during the elections.  We also have people who are ready to come but that is too early to say I think we will not have any problem during the coming elections,” he claimed.

Mawkhar-Pynthorumkrah MDC Pynshngain N Syiem said it is too early to say that few leaders will leave the party. He however said, “As of now in Meghalaya, Congress is the only alternative for the next election.”

Meanwhile, Pala informed that he would attend a meeting to be convened by the AICC incharge and general secretary administration in New Delhi on November 18.

The meeting, also to be attended by the CLP leader Mukul Sangma and all working presidents of the PCC, will discuss the poll debacle and come up with an action plan for the upcoming 2023 elections.

“We are taking this recent defeat very seriously and we are preparing for the upcoming election quite strongly,” he said.

To another query, the MPCC chief said that the Congress as a national party does not declare names of the candidates in advance.

“As a strategy the Congress and even the BJP or any other national parties they don’t declare the names in advance so that they will give less space to the people to damage the party because will be having not less two-three aspirants but preparation for election, whoever we thinks who have a chance to win and have been working four-five years – everybody knows who will get a ticket,” he stated.