NPP Deputy CM Declares Congress Finished in Meghalaya Politics

Shillong: The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) has asserted that the Congress, once a powerhouse in Meghalaya, is now politically extinct and poses no future threat to its dominance.

Speaking on Monday, NPP senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar predicted that the Congress—reduced to a single Lok Sabha MP and zero MLAs in the state Assembly—has no path to revival. “The current reality makes it nearly impossible for the party to rise again,” Dhar said, adding that Congress leaders must now determine their own fate.

Also Read: Assam: Three, including doctor, die after road accident in Morigaon

While noting it is not his role to pass judgment on a rival party, Dhar suggested the Congress’s collapse stems from public disillusionment and fatigue with its leadership.

Also Read: Meghalaya Congress Chief Vincent Pala Rejects Resignation Rumours, Vows to Resist External Pressure

The NPP commands a clear majority in the 60-member Assembly with 33 legislators. After securing 26 seats in the 2023 polls, the party expanded its strength through strategic mergers: two MLAs from the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) in May 2023, four from Congress earlier this year, and a win in the 2024 Gambegre by-election.

In stark contrast, the Congress has been wiped out in the Assembly. From five seats in 2023, it lost one MLA to the Lok Sabha and saw the remaining four defect to the NPP.

Compounding its troubles, the party is embroiled in internal strife, with reports indicating the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is moving to replace state president Vincent H. Pala. Defiant, Pala has declared he will not resign under external pressure or efforts by rivals to destabilize the Congress in Meghalaya.