Shillong, Apr 4: Former Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, E.C. Bonnieface Bamon left the party and rejoined the Congress to support sitting Lok Sabha MP from Shillong, Vincent H. Pala.

Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President, Dr Celestine Lyngdoh, Congress MLA from Sutnga-Saipung constituency, Shitlang Pale and other party leaders welcomed Bamon into the party at Congress Bhavan.

“I decided to leave the NCP because the party has been ignored by the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government in this Lok Sabha election from Shillong Parliamentary constituency,” Bamon said.

He also said that he decided to leave the NCP and rejoin the Congress on the ground that Congress is the only secular party in the country.

The NCP is part of the MDA government and has one MLA, Saleng A Sangma who is also the NCP President in Meghalaya.

“It is strange that our party (NCP) was not included in the MDA in this Lok Sabha election. To me, it appears that the MDA did not need the support of our NCP leaders and workers,” Bamon said.

The former NCP MLA from Nartiang constituency, said that he tried to meet the NCP President Saleng A Sangma to discuss with him issues related to the party and including elections, but he was not available.  

Bamon had associated with the Congress from 1982 to 1998 and left the Congress because he followed former Lok Sabha Speaker, late Purno Agitok Sangma and believed in his leadership those years.

“I am very happy now because I have come back to my parent party (Congress),” he said.

The MDA government which comprised of the NPP, UDP, PDF, HSPDP and Independents, supported Jemino Mawthoh, who is the candidate sponsored by the UDP from Shillong Lok Sabha seat, which goes to polls on April 11.

The BJP which is also the partner of the MDA, has fielded, BJP legislator from Shillong South constituency, Sanbor Shullai as the candidate for the Lok Sabha polls from Shillong.