With NPP-BJP falling out & TMC in the race, 13 parties crowd Meghalaya battle

Unlike the other two poll bound northeastern states - Tripura and Nagaland - there is no pre-poll alliance in Meghalaya, where allies are fighting against each other.

The 60 seats of the Meghalaya assembly will be up for grabs in the polls on February 27 with the hill state witnessing a multi-party contest.

In the last assembly election in 2018, Meghalaya had a fractured mandate leading to the six party coalition Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) which included the National People's Party (NPP), the dominating party, the BJP, the United Democratic Party (UDP), the People's Democratic Party (PDF), the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) and one Independent.

In all 13 political parties including four having a national status -- the BJP, Congress, NPP and the Trinamool Congress -- are contesting the election with a total of 375 candidates including 36 female nominees in the fray.

The BJP and the Congress have put up 60 candidates each, while the main opposition Trinamool Congress has nominated 56 candidates, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma led NPP has fielded 57 candidates, UDP 46, HSPDP 11, People's Democratic Front 9, Gana Suraksha Party one, Garo National Council two, Janata Dal (United) three, Republican Party of India two, Republican Party of India (Athawale) six and Voice of the People Party 18.

In all 44 independent candidates are also contesting the elections.

The HSPDP is contesting mainly in the assembly seats of Ri-Bhoi, East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hill districts.

The UDP, a kingmaker for a long time and expecting to secure a comfortable number of seats, is also pressing its demand for a Khasi community Chief Minister in the state this time.

Altogether 59 sitting MLAs, except Mawphlang MLA Eugeneson Lyngdoh, and including Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh and Opposition leader Mukul Sangma, two BJP MLAs -- Alexander Laloo Hek (former minister) and Sanbor Shullai (incumbent minister) -- are seeking re-election.

The Sangmas, Lyngdohs and Dkhars are politically strong families who follow dynasty politics and they are fighting this election also to hold on to power in their respective regions.

The Sangmas also have their stronghold in the Garo Hills area.

Now, the Heks too have joined that bandwagon. BJP leader and former minister Alexander Laloo Hek is contesting against his own nephew and NPP candidate Rocky Hek in the Pynthorumkhrah East Khasi Hills district.

Two siblings from the ruling NPP, Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh and her sister Jasmine Mary Lyngdoh, are fighting from East Shillong and Nongthymmai assembly constituencies respectively. The family has been in politics for more than five decades.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his election campaign last week said that the BJP recently broke its alliance with the NPP and strongly criticised it, alleging that the outgoing government is involved in corruption, and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has been doing family politics.

"BJP election manifesto has already announced that it would probe all the corruption in Meghalaya through a retired Supreme Court judge and then all the accused would go to jail," the Home Minister said.

Before Shah, BJP president J.P. Nadda and all the state leaders had also lashed out at the MDA government and the NPP.

With two MLAS, the BJP was a partner in the outgoing MDA government and one of the BJP MLAs (Sanbor Shullai) was a cabinet minister.

The relationship between the BJP and the NPP soured due to various reasons specially since the BJP's state vice president Bernard N. Marak was arrested on July 25 last year for allegedly running a 'brothel'.

The BJP had described Marak's arrest as a "political vendetta".

Militant leader turned politician, Marak, who is out on bail, is contesting against Chief Minister Sangma in the South Tura constituency in the West Garo Hills district.

There is no word so far from the NPP about the breaking of the alliance with the BJP.

The Congress, which at one time governed almost all the northeastern states for decades, is now battling for survival in the three election bound states -- Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress had won 21 seats in the 60-member Assembly, but subsequently all its legislators joined other parties, including the Trinamool Congress and the ruling National People's Party.

Twelve MLAs, led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma (2010-2018), who had won in the 2018 Assembly election as Congress nominees, joined the Trinamool Congress in November 2021, making the West Bengal-based party the main opposition in the northeastern state overnight.

In politically unstable Meghalaya a single party government is rare and shifting loyalties of the legislators is common.

As many as 20 Meghalaya MLAs and many leaders of different parties have resigned from the Assembly and their parties and joined other parties in around the last two months.

Corruption, unemployment, ethnicity, dynastic politics, the Meghalaya-Assam inter-state border dispute and illegal mining are predominant issues in the elections.

Promulgation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in entire Meghalaya is also an old issue and often led to agitations.

Carved out of Assam, Meghalaya attained statehood in January 1972.

Though four national parties and nine regional parties are contesting the February 27 elections, none has a solid hold across the state's three regions -- Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills.