In 2018 the Congress under Mukul Sangma had won 21 seats while the NPP, an ally of the BJP, won 20 seats. Mukul Sangma failed to cobble majority support particularly as the NPP had the backing of the BJP government at the centre and also in the face of anti-incumbency factor during the 2018 election,lost the game as Conrad Sangma then formed the government. In 2013, Mukul Sangma defeated veteran Garo strongman late Purno Sangma, who led the NCP to win 29 seats and then formed the government. However, in 2018 Mukul Sangma had to bow to majority alliance of NDA (NPP and BJP) including regional parties as his party braced poaching from the ruling alliance. The Congress tally began decreasing with defections, deaths etc and after the last three by-elections, the party was reduced to 17 MLAs. The biggest blow to the Congress came after its own legislature party leader Mukul Sangma defected to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) with 11 others on November 25. That left the Congress shattered and with only five MLAs and also no longer as the main opposition in the house. With the 12 Congress defectors making the TMC presence in the assembly, former Congress veteran Mukul Sangma retained his position as the opposition leader but of another party. Mukul Sangma reportedly left the Congress owing to simmering differences with party colleague and Lok Sabha MP Vincent Pala and which worsened after the latter was appointed as state Congress president. Mukul was rightly peeved and was in a rebellious mood but was pacified after a meeting with Rahul. However the uneasy truce did not last mainly when Mukul was bent on trying to impact his imprint on the party. The loss in three byelections for seats that were traditionally Congress did no good to Mukul. His defection to TMC may have been precipitated by the persuasions of TMC’stop political strategist Prashant Kishor. It appears that the enmity between Mukul and Vincent Pala was irreconcilable. The latest development where the five-member Congress legislature party has decided to join hands with the NPP-led NDA government, adds a sordid twist to political machinations in a state where political opportunism is the order of the day. The Congress in Meghalaya has only confirmed that it is a party where inner rivalry among its leaders continues to consume the party in almost all states. One of the main reasons why the dissidence within Congress has in almost all cases, led to rebellion and defections etc is the absence of a strong central party leadership. The Congress party at the centre has failed to effectively deal with internal crisis and that has pushed out many veteran party leaders out. In Meghalaya, people are also dissatisfied with Conrad Sangma’s government which has come under attack even from its own ally, the BJP for corruption. Besides Conrad as party supremo and chief minister, his government also includes his elder brother James Sangma who has been mired in controversy. Youngest of the Sangmas- Agatha- is NPP Lok Sabha MP. In Meghalaya it is still Sangma Vrs Sangma with Congress now indirectly part of the NDA. The same situation happened in Nagaland in 2015 and these indicate that the party is headed for a bleak future in the region.
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