SHILLONG : West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday said he had raised concerns over the leadership of the United Democratic Party (UDP) long before the party’s strength in the Meghalaya Assembly fell from 12 MLAs to four.
Lyngdoh said his call for a change in leadership was made during the previous party presidential election, when he contested against Metbah Lyngdoh for the post.
He recalled that Metbah defeated him by three votes in the contest, at a time when Paul Lyngdoh had recently lost the 2013 Assembly election.
Lyngdoh said that following the election, he continued discussions with party leaders and repeatedly argued that the party needed a leader with a vision extending beyond an individual constituency.
Taking a critical view of the party’s functioning under the existing leadership, Lyngdoh questioned whether a party president should focus primarily on matters concerning his own constituency and its immediate neighbouring areas.
He also alleged that several political appointments were not facilitated through the party president, claiming that individual MLAs had to approach other senior leaders in the government to secure such assignments.
According to Lyngdoh, these issues had been developing within the party for some time, but his concerns were not acted upon.
“I prefer to be blunt and straight to the point,” Lyngdoh said, adding that he had stated his concerns but they were ignored by the party’s rank and file.
He said the UDP had subsequently paid a political price, pointing to its reduction from 12 MLAs to four following the exit of eight legislators.
Lyngdoh described the decline as a major setback for the regional party and said the situation could potentially become even more difficult.
The UDP’s Assembly strength fell from 12 to four after eight of its MLAs joined the BJP in September. The remaining four legislators are Metbah Lyngdoh, Paul Lyngdoh, Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar and Nujorki Sungoh.
Asked about the possibility of another leadership change, Lyngdoh referred to the actions of the current leadership and said the person concerned would be best placed to explain decisions that he alleged were inconsistent with an earlier precedent.
The remarks come amid continuing questions within the UDP following the departure of eight MLAs and the resulting reduction in the party’s representation in the Meghalaya Assembly.