NPP downplays VPP's parliamentary win, vows to bounce back in 2028 Meghalaya Assembly polls

The National People's Party (NPP), on June 12, downplayed the Voice of the People Party (VPP)'s landslide victory in the Shillong parliamentary seat, asserting that it cannot be linked to the 2028 Meghalaya Assembly elections, which are still four years away.

NPP national general secretary and Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar stated that while the VPP may have the scope to increase its seats, other parties, including the NPP and United Democratic Party (UDP), will also work hard to regain ground.

"You cannot link it with the 2028 Assembly elections. Of course, there is scope for the VPP to increase its seats, but you cannot also undermine the fact that the NPP, UDP, and other parties will also work very hard since we have got 3-4 years' time," Dhar said.

Drawing parallels from past elections, Dhar highlighted that landslide victories in one election do not necessarily translate into similar results in others, citing the example of the Congress' performance in 2019 and 2023.

"In 2019, Vincent Pala secured 4 lakh votes, a landslide victory, but in 2023, the Congress could win only 4 seats from the Khasi-Jaintia region. That's why people are wiser than you think. Therefore, you should never underestimate our voters," he said.

Acknowledging the party's poor performance, Dhar assured that the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government would continue to serve the people without partiality or bias.

He expressed, on behalf of the party and the government, an apology to the people for any shortcomings and stressed that from that point onwards, they would strive to work and serve the people better without any partiality or bias. The NPP leader also informed that a post-mortem analysis of the party's performance is underway to identify shortcomings and lapses, and efforts will be made to correct them.