Former Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma along with 12 MLAs decides to support TMC

In a massive development, former Meghalaya Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Mukul Sangma reportedly quit the grand-old party to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) along with 12 other MLAs on Wednesday. Republic TV has learnt that Sangma along with 12 MLAs have given a letter to the Speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly saying that they are forming another group and supporting the TMC.

In October, speculations began doing the rounds that Mukul Sangma was reportedly unhappy with the MPCC (Meghalaya Pradesh Congress) president Vincent Pala, who was elected as the state unit chief without deliberations. Reports suggested that a miffed Sangma had raked up the support of 14 legislators from the Garo Hills region, which prompted ex-Congress President Rahul Gandhi to summon him to the national capital to meet the high command. 

During this period, the leader had also met Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati, and the Trinamool Congress leadership in Kolkata, creating a buzz that he may switch to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or TMC. When asked if he was planning to quit the party, Sangma, speaking to reporters, said that the assumptions are too 'premature'. He had also alleged that there are internal grievances in the Congress party and claimed that some of the party leaders have become the "victims of those grievances", referring to one senior member's exit before the by-elections in three assembly seats.

In a bid to end the rift ahead of the elections, Rahul Gandhi met both Mukul Sangma and Vincent H Pala on October 4. However, Congress once again failed to make a mark in the polls as the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance clinched all three assembly seats.

This occurred even despite the fact that Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya in the 2018 assembly elections with 21 seats. The grand old party, however, could not gain support from regional parties following which the National People's Party (NPP) formed the government with the support of the People's Democratic Front, United Democratic Front and BJP. With the exit of Mukul Sangma and 12 others today, the Congress has been reduced to single digits in the region.