Former United Democratic Party (UDP) leader and West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh has said that a greater spirit of accommodation and political maturity within the National People’s Party (NPP) influenced his decision to join the ruling party, describing the move as the third phase of his political career.
Speaking to reporters after formally joining the NPP along with Mawkyrwat MLA Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar and Mowkaiaw MLA Nujorki Sungoh, Lyngdoh said he found comparatively greater maturity and a willingness to accommodate different views within the NPP.
“As I said earlier during my speech, this is the third stint of my career, and I find in the NPP that there are more people with maturity, with big hearts, with a spirit of accommodation,” he said, adding that such an environment made it easier for leaders to work together when there was a meeting of minds.
Asked whether the decline of regional parties was becoming evident in Meghalaya, with the NPP now having 36 MLAs and the BJP 10, Lyngdoh said the situation reflected the political circumstances he had experienced within the UDP.
“We have done our level best to adjust within the UDP. It was difficult. The kind of fraternity and bonding that we have in the NPP is something that is hugely lacking in the party I had just come out of,” he said.
Responding to UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh’s description of his move as a political “decline”, Paul Lyngdoh declined to engage in a counterattack, stating, “Not every statement deserves to be countered, so I’ll leave it at that.”
On the possibility of a Cabinet berth, the West Shillong MLA said he was not aware of any such offer. However, he said Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had indicated that the three legislators would be adequately strengthened to address the needs of their constituencies and the state.
Lyngdoh also ruled out any conditions attached to his decision to join the NPP, saying he was willing to accept whatever responsibilities the party assigned to him.
“Absolutely no. I have said it from the start, there are no conditions attached to this joining. I am happy to take up whatever assignments are given to me, knowing that I have so much to give back to Meghalaya,” he said.
The induction of the three former UDP legislators has taken the NPP’s strength in the 60-member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly to 36, giving the ruling party an absolute majority. Lyngdoh’s remarks also highlight the growing political realignments in the state, with differences over party cohesion and leadership emerging as key factors behind the latest shift.