Guwahati: The Congress in Meghalaya is in trouble.
Will the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Vincent H Pala continue or be replaced?
That is the million-dollar question.
Contradicting reports “that only senior leader Pynshngain N. Syiem is seeking Pala’s removal, several party leaders — speaking on condition of anonymity — have clarified that the demand for change is widely shared among party workers and supporters,” reports Shillong Times.
According to these leaders, a leadership overhaul is essential if the Congress hopes to revive its fortunes in the state.
They said that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has already “shortlisted four potential candidates — two from Khasi-Jaintia Hills and two from Garo Hills — to replace Pala.”
“It is misleading to say that there is no one to step into Pala’s shoes. Apart from the veterans, there are several new faces ready to take up the challenge of rebuilding the party,” a section of leaders told Shillong Times on Monday.
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They added that several District Congress Committees (DCCs) and Block Congress Committees (BCCs) have formally communicated the need to replace Pala if the party is serious about putting up a strong fight in the 2028 Assembly elections.
They alerted that if the AICC continues to delay the appointment of a new MPCC chief, many loyalists might quit the party, as they see no future under Pala’s leadership.
“No one can deny that the Congress in Meghalaya is at its lowest point — it has no MLA in the Assembly and no MDC in the KHADC,” they observed.
They added that Pala should have stepped down voluntarily, accepting moral responsibility for the party’s decline from being a political powerhouse to its current weakened state.