12 of 17 Congress MLAs join TMC in Meghalaya: Sources

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• Nov 25, 2021 | moderator

Shillong: As per sources, 12 out of 17 Congress MLA's are all set to join Mamata Banerjee's TMC party in Meghalaya. This development came as a significant setback for the Congress party in the state. The development will further boost the position of TMC in the Northeast. 

"12 out of 17 Congress MLA from Meghalaya have joined Trinamool Congress," claimed sources.

The Meghalaya Congress in-charge Manish Chatrath is likely to visit Meghalaya today. Sources have informed that Chatrath has dropped his plan to visit Gujarat on November 25.

"Manish Chatrath postponed tomorrow's visit to Surat in Gujarat, where he was scheduled to attend late Congress leader Ahmed Patel's first death anniversary," sources stated.

According to sources, Chatrath will soon provide a complete statement to the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi. 

Prominently, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on November 18 held a meeting at AICC headquarters in New Delhi. In the meet, Manish Chatrath attended to evaluate the party's representation in the lately settled by-polls in Meghalaya.

The meeting was additionally accompanied by other party leaders of the state, including MPCC President Vincent H Pala, CLP leader Mukul Sangma, MPCC working president M Arnpareen Lyngdoh.

Meghalaya's ruling party, the National People's Party (NPP), won Rajabala, Mawryngkneng Assembly seats. At the same time, the United Democratic Party (UDP) bagged the Mawphlang Assembly seat in the bypolls, which took place on October 30, 2021.

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All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has seen a consecutive stream of leaders entering its ranks after resigning from Congress in the last few months.

Congress leader Kirti Azad and former Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar lately entered TMC. Tanwar was once a confidential aide of Rahul Gandhi.

In October, two senior Congress leaders of Uttar Pradesh had joined TMC, including Rajeshpati Tripathi and Lalitpati Tripathi.

Mamata Banerjee is known to share a friendly relationship with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. However, this time Banjerjee has not met Sonia Gandhi during her four-day tour to the national capital.

Banerjee appended, "Why should we meet Sonia every time? It is not compulsory constitutionally."

The upcoming assembly polls will take place in 2023 in Meghalaya .