Shillong: Two Congress Members of District Council (MDCs) in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), Carnes Sohshang from Mawkyrwat and Batskhem Ryntathiang from Mairang, are set to join the National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya.
The two MDCs met with the national vice president of the NPP and deputy chief minister, Prestone Tynsong, on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of joining the party.
Sohshang and Ryntathiang both contested the recently held assembly polls from the Congress, but both lost.
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Sohshang lost to Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar of the United Democratic Party (UDP), while Ryntathiang lost to UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh.
If the two MDCs join the NPP, the party will have a total of 14 MDCs in the 30-member KHADC. The UDP, which is currently leading the EC in the KHADC, has 10 MDCs. The Hill State People’s Democratic Party has one MDC.
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The NPP’s strength in the KHADC will give it the majority needed to topple the current EC led by Chyne of the UDP. It is expected that the NPP will try to do so soon after the two Congress MDCs join the party.
The development is a major setback for the Congress in the KHADC. The party is already facing an uphill battle in the upcoming assembly polls in the state. The defection of the two MDCs will further weaken the Congress in the KHADC and make it more difficult for the party to win the upcoming assembly polls.
The NPP, on the other hand, is getting stronger in the KHADC. The party has been making inroads in the region in recent years and the defection of the two Congress MDCs is a major boost for the party. The NPP is now the leading party in the KHADC and it is expected to play a major role in the upcoming assembly polls in the state.