Mukul Sangma's suspected move to TMC may hit Meghalaya Congress further

Trouble in Congress mounted amid speculation of former Meghalaya Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Mukul Sangma and a dozen other MLAs joining the TMC, the ruling party in West Bengal.

Sangma's speculative exit from the party is parallel with reports of his disappointment with top leadership's move to appoint Vicent H Pala as the party chief in the northeastern state. He has, however, termed the assumptions premature but has not convincingly denied the speculation of his exit from the Grand Old Party.

Congress has now summoned the leader to have a talk in Delhi, where Sangma says some issues need to be "resolved".

Meanwhile, the TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, who swept the Bhabanipur bypoll with a record margin on Sunday, is on an expansionist move to take on BJP at the national level with inducting leaders into the party from Congress and other parties.

In Meghalaya, Congress had bagged 21 seats but three MLAs have passed away and a legislator has quit the post, leaving them with 17. The bypolls to the three constituencies will be held on October 30 and votes will be counted on November 2.

If the leader's move to another party is confirmed, Sangma would need the support of 12 MLAs to evade the anti-defection law. Under the law, at least two-thirds of the members of the party need to agree to the merger.

“With eight MLAs in his kitty, it will be difficult for Mukul Sangma to break the party and join the Trinamool Congress to avoid legal trouble under the anti-defection law. Above all, why will he join the TMC? I believe they will not be able to do much ‘politically’ now because the election is just 16 months away. Where is the time? They don’t have time to prepare for it. Mukul Sangma is a clever politician and he will not commit this blunder,” a News18 report quoted a senior state Congress leader as saying.

Rumours of his exit amplified after Sangma met TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on September 21. Speaking to reporters, he said, "I have always maintained that I should not be a victim of pessimism."

He has also said that there are grievances among some members and that they were already "victims of those grievances".

As far as Congress is concerned, the party has had a tough week, weathering a crisis in Punjab ahead of all-important elections and a spat among senior leaders, including Kapil Sibal who raised issues about party leadership.

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