Congress coming up strong as VPP loses ground, says Pala

By - Admin 10 Nov, 2026 Comments (0) 3 Mins Read

SHILLONG, NOV 10: The Congress is coming up very strong in Khasi and Jaintia Hills, while the Voice of the People Party is losing the ground it gained in 2024.

Meghalaya Congress chief Vincent H Pala made the claim on Tuesday, saying disillusioned VPP supporters are now joining the Congress in large numbers.

“I have seen wherever I went, even in Nongkrem, in Mylliem, maximum of the people have gone astray,” Pala said. “Many of them have become very desperate, many of them have become our workers also. Definitely, the VPP will not get the votes which they got before.”

He said the exact extent of the VPP’s decline will become clear only after the election is declared and candidates are announced, but the trend on the ground is unmistakable. “The VPP has gone down. How much it has gone down, we will know only when the election comes and everybody declares their candidates,” he said.

Pala blamed the VPP’s fall on what he described as a complete failure to honour its promises. The party, he said, had promised accountability and transparency but delivered neither. “Whether it is the VPP or the BJP, they have to stick to their commitment. The VPP committed to the people that there will be accountability and transparency, and you see now more and more gates coming. There is no accountability, there is no transparency,” he said.

On trading licences, Pala said the VPP’s promise has proved hollow. “They said they will not give trading licences, but I have seen with my own eyes, people who are working in NEIGRIHMS, everybody gets a trading licence. So there is no difference, before the VPP was not there and now when the VPP is there,” he said.

He was sharper still on employment and reservation, accusing the VPP of spoiling the reservation benefits meant for the Khasi and Jaintia people. “The hopes of the people that they will give employment, but rather the reservation policy has been spoiled, especially for Khasi and Jaintia Hills,” Pala said. “So everything has been spoiled, because they committed, they promised, but they don’t do it.”

Pala said young voters, who make up 37 per cent of the electorate, are holding parties to account like never before. “People of Meghalaya are smart enough, especially people of Khasi and Jaintia. Youth nowadays have all information in their hands, whether you are accountable or you are consistent with your commitment,” he said.