Meghalaya’s largest opposition party skips tribal council polls
The Hindu
Trinamool Congress opts out of Meghalaya tribal council elections to focus on grassroots party strengthening.
GUWAHATI
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), Meghalaya’s largest Opposition party, has decided not to contest the elections to two influential tribal councils in the State.
The elections to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council are scheduled for February 21.
Senior TMC leader and former Chief Minister, Mukul M. Sangma said the “ground realities” made his party skip the polls across the hills dominated by the matrilineal Khasi and Jaintia communities.
“It is not necessary for us to fight the district council election because we want to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. We have to be practical,” he said on Friday (February 7, 2025).
Meghalaya is an important State for the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC beyond West Bengal, where it is in power. The party has five MLAs in the northeastern State’s 60-member Assembly followed by the regional Voice of the People Party with four MLAs, and Congress with one.
Barring the TMC, all the parties are contesting the tribal council polls. They include the parties in the ruling coalition headed by the National People’s Party (32 MLAs).
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