Shillong, Sep 25 Meghalaya Congress chief Vincent H Pala on Friday said the BJP would face its “real test” in the 2028 Assembly polls, and claimed that an increase in its number of legislators would not by itself establish a wider electoral mandate.
Speaking to reporters in Shillong, Pala said the BJP’s current strength comes from legislators changing political allegiance and questioned whether that would translate into votes in the next Assembly election.
His statement came two days after eight United Democratic Party (UDP) MLAs joined the BJP, taking its tally to 10 in the 60-member House. Both parties are constituents of the ruling NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance.
In the 2023 Meghalaya Assembly election, the BJP won two of the 60 seats and secured about 9.3 per cent of the votes, according to Election Commission of India records.
The Congress won five seats with about 13.2 per cent of the votes, but now it has no representation in the assembly. Four of them later joined the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), and the fifth one is now an MP of the Congress.
“The real test will be in 2028. They might have got MLAs but whether they will get the mandate of the people or not, that we are yet to see,” Pala said.
Asked about the BJP’s expansion plan in Meghalaya, he said the Congress did not view the increase in the party’s legislative strength as a reflection of its popular support.
The former Union minister said the Congress would seek to consolidate voters who do not support the BJP and asserted that his party was not scared of the BJP’s growth in the state.
Pala criticised the political realignments and said the Congress would focus on consolidating its support base ahead of the 2028 Assembly election.
“We condemn the way in which the BJP has done this to their own friends, to their own allies,” he said.
(PTI News)
