Shillong, Aug 22: Call it beginner’s luck or simply a gift from Rahul Gandhi to Mamata Banerjee, but the Trinamool Congress (TMC) couldn’t have had it easier in Meghalaya, without breaking a sweat.

The TMC is likely to bag the coveted Leader of Opposition (LO) post in the 11th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. This would be twice in a row. Generally, the leader from the largest political party in the opposition gets that position of LO.

Former Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma and now a senior TMC leader or TMC state President Charles Pyngrope could be the LO. Interestingly, Dr. Mukul Sangma was the LO in the last Assembly (10th Meghalaya Assembly) – both as a Congress and a TMC legislator.

But then Dr. Sangma staged one of the biggest political coups in Meghalaya’s ‘cloak and dagger politics’. It was a walk in the park for Dr. Sangma to woo eleven other colleagues from the Congress and jump the fence into Mamata Didi’s TMC in 2022.

Ironically, Congress was the single largest party after the 2018 elections with 21 seats. The National People’s Party (NPP) was second with 20 seats, but an astute move by NPP President Conrad K. Sangma ensured the Congress was kept out of power.

NPP formed a coalition government with regional parties while Congress leader Dr. Mukul Sangma was made the LO. He led his party in several fiery debates with NPP leader and CM Conrad K. Sangma in the Assembly.

However, there was a yawning gap between the Congress’ elected leaders and the party functionaries, and legislators slowly trickled out. In a matter of years, the party’s number dried up to 17 in the assembly and that’s when Mukul’s political-hurricane struck with all its fury and almost sank the Congress.

The Congress was torn and battered with just five legislators in the Assembly after Mukul and his eleven colleagues joined the TMC. Suddenly, the TMC flag rose high and the party was the toast of the town with 12 legislators.

There were reports all across the country how TMC is the second largest party in Meghalaya – without even contesting the 2018 assembly elections. There were also reports that only Didi could take on the BJP.

Buoyed by the turn of fortune, the TMC invested heavily during the 2023 Assembly elections. Massive rallies were held and people gathered by the thousands almost all over the state.

Several star campaigners of the TMC descended to conquer Meghalaya’s political landscape. Didi campaigned, so too her Baipo (nephew) Abhishek Banerjee. If the TMC rallies were mammoth, the disappointment over the results was colossal – the TMC won just five seats.

Most of the Congress MLAs who joined the TMC lost the election, save a few like Mukul and Charles. The beleaguered Congress somehow sailed home equalling TMC’s record and was rewarded with the LO’s position. Ronnie V. Lyngdoh was recognised as the LO in the 11th Meghalaya Assembly.

But the Congress did it again. It handed the TMC another shot to become the main opposition in the Assembly and one of its leaders the LO. The script is the same only the legislators have changed.

This time Congress MLAs Gabriel Wahlang, Charles Marngar and Dr. Celestine Lyngdoh abandoned the party and walked to a warm embrace of the NPP. The Congress looks forlorn now with just one MLA (Ronnie Lyngdoh) in the House.

The Speaker Thomas A. Sangma is left with no choice but to allot the LO position to one of the TMC leaders being the largest opposition party with five MLAs.

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