SHILLONG: The United Democratic Party (UDP) is facing a major organizational crisis following a wave of defections, drawing comparisons with the Congress exodus between 2021 and 2023 under then state party president Vincent H. Pala. While the Congress lost legislators to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the National People’s Party (NPP), the UDP has suffered a similar erosion of its legislative strength, with eight of its 12 MLAs moving to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), followed by moves by three others towards the NPP.
Former UDP working president and West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh attributed the departures to a lack of mutual respect within the party. He said the issue went beyond individual disagreements and reflected a breakdown in the relationship between the leadership and party legislators.
Lyngdoh also questioned the contrast between the party’s organizational decisions and subsequent actions by its president, Metbah Lyngdoh. He recalled that the Central Executive Committee had resolved to strengthen the party, beginning with its Shillong district unit, but said the president wrote to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma the following day regarding a Cabinet-related matter.
Stressing that his concerns were about respect rather than personal advancement, Paul Lyngdoh said leaders should leave an environment where mutual respect was absent.
Metbah Lyngdoh, meanwhile, expressed surprise at the defections, noting that the legislators had contested and won their seats on UDP tickets in 2023. He questioned why none had raised concerns about his leadership before leaving and maintained that he had always been willing to step down if the party considered him unsuitable.
The UDP president said the legislators had expressed no differences with him or the party at their last parliamentary party meeting before the defections.
Acknowledging the setback, Metbah said the party would prioritize rebuilding its organization rather than focus on action against the departing legislators, although it would examine the relevant legal provisions. The developments have raised questions about the UDP’s internal cohesion and political future, recalling the Congress’s decline following its earlier exodus. Both episodes underline how internal disagreements and shifting political loyalties can weaken a party’s legislative strength and influence in Meghalaya.