Congress has lost sense of direction, says former minister in poll-bound Meghalaya before joining NPP

A former minister in poll-bound Meghalaya along with another MLA resigned from Congress on Monday saying that the party has lost its sense of direction and serious and honest attempts to lead to introspection have failed.

The minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh, who defeated her BJP rival in East Shillong Assembly constituency in 2018 elections and Mohendro Rapsang, a suspended Congress MLA later formally joined the National People's Party (NPP).The NPP leads the five-party Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government in which BJP is a minor ally with two MLAs.

"The recent developments within the party have led me to believe the party has lost its sense of direction. There has been a pressing need for the party and its leadership to reflect on this. Sincere and honest attempts to lead such a self-introspection, I believe, have failed," the 57-year-old Lyngdoh said in her resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday.

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Her letter, however, did not mention the recent developments which forced her to quit Congress.

Meghalaya was Congress's stronghold for long and it was in power between 2010 and 2018. The party also emerged as the single largest party by winning 21 out of 60 seats in the 2018 Assembly elections.

But the NPP, which came second with 19 seats, cobbled up an alliance and wrested power from Congress. The party received a big jolt in November 2021, when 12 MLAs led by former two-time CM, Mukul Sangma joined Trinamool Congress. Mukul quit Congress after the AICC appointed Shillong MP Vincent Pala as the party's Meghalaya unit president.

This helped Trinamool Congress to become the biggest Opposition party. The TMC has set its target to form government in Meghalaya after the Assembly polls slated in February. The Trinamool would contest in all 60 seats.

The NPP, meanwhile has decided to fight the elections on its own while BJP seeks to form a government led by it.