Shillong, May 23: The power equation in Meghalaya is set to change with the Congress sealing an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Delhi. Chief Minister D.D. Lapang, who heads the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, has been advised by the party high command to explore the option of joining hands with the NCP even if it means antagonising a couple of his original allies. He is in New Delhi at present.
A source said the AICC had officially given the chief minister a free hand in choosing his coalition partners, but made it clear the high command would like the NCP to be part of the picture.
The Congress, which at present has an alliance with the United Democratic Party (UDP), the Meghalaya Democratic Party (MDP) and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement, might cobble up a new coalition with the NCP and, possibly, the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP).
The AICC is under pressure from NCP chief Sharad Pawar to alter the political equation in Meghalaya. He has been in touch with state unit president Monindro Rava, sources said.
Soon after former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma severed ties with Pawar, the latter sidelined all Sangma loyalists in the state NCP and made Rava the president.
The chief minister has kept mum on the issue, hinting he will tread carefully.
He told the media before leaving for New Delhi that his government was “stable”, but did not rule out any change. “Anything is possible in politics,” he said.
Speculation is rife about the MDA having already decided to drop the UDP and the MDP. An aide said Lapang might make a “surprise declaration” on his return from New Delhi.
The chief minister reportedly held several closed-door meetings with top functionaries of the AICC in the capital, during which the possibility of a new-look coalition was discussed threadbare.
The relationship between the Congress and its allies reached boiling point after the regional parties decided to field a consensus candidate against Union minister P.R Kyndiah in Shillong constituency.