Meghalaya’s VPP to ‘support’ INDIA bloc

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, June 14

Although the North-East is known as a stronghold of regional parties, representatives of only two such outfits have been elected to the Lok Sabha in the recent elections.

Ricky Andrew J Syngkon of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) clinched a win from the Shillong LS seat of Meghalaya by defeating Congress candidate Vincent Pala.

Richard Vanlalhmangaiha of Zoram People Movement (ZPM), who won from the sole seat of Mizoram, is the other victorious candidate from a regional party in the state.

The VPP, which has four MLAs in the Meghalaya Assembly, was recently in news when its MLAs walked out from the House to protest against the Governor giving his customary address in Hindi instead of English, official language of Meghalaya.

Talking to The Tribune, Syngkon said though he would sit in the Opposition benches in the Lok Sabha, there was no chance of VPP joining the INDIA bloc.

“The VPP would offer issue-based support to the INDIA bloc,” Syngkon, who teaches in Shillong’s North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), said.

Richard Vanlalhmangaiha of Zoram People Movement (ZPM) said he would remain “truly neutral” in Parliament and focus on development of infrastructure in Mizoram where the ZPM was now the ruling party.