SHILLONG – The United Democratic Party’s problem is beginning to look larger than a possible BJP defection. Former Cabinet Minister and senior UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh has publicly acknowledged frustration inside the party, saying legislators are struggling to see where the party is headed.
He said the issue was not merely being discussed outside the party but had been raised inside its own General Executive Council (GEC), where leaders expressed concern over the UDP’s present trajectory.
“This discontent among the MLAs is something which I myself had raised,” Lyngdoh said, adding that leaders at the meeting had also expressed concern that there were no visible signs of the party moving forward.
The remarks come amid reports that nine of the UDP’s 12 MLAs are preparing to join the BJP. Lyngdoh, however, said the number of legislators exploring political alternatives could be higher.
“Besides the nine, there is talk of two more MLAs who are ready to join other political parties,” he said.
The possible movement of legislators comes as the UDP approaches a year since the September 2025 Cabinet reshuffle, which saw changes among its ministerial representatives. Lyngdoh said he had sought a progress report on the performance of the two UDP ministers who assumed office after the reshuffle. He also linked the party’s internal frustration to the treatment of constituency-level development proposals submitted by its legislators.
Reflecting on his own two-and-a-half years as a minister, he said proposals put forward by UDP MLAs for development in their respective constituencies had not received adequate attention.
The issue, according to Lyngdoh, goes beyond individual legislators deciding whether to remain with the UDP. He said legislators who see no clear political future or progress within their party could naturally begin looking elsewhere.
Lyngdoh also clarified that he was not part of the meetings held in Delhi and Kolkata by the group of disgruntled UDP MLAs. He said minister Lahkmen Rymbui appeared to be speaking on behalf of the group.
His comments also placed the UDP’s difficulties within Meghalaya’s changing political landscape, with the VPP emerging as a stronger political force and the BJP looking to expand its presence in the state.
“If there is no growth, if there is no direction, naturally people become confused and they start looking for alternatives,” Lyngdoh said.
He said the situation would become clearer as political developments unfold, recalling the familiar reality that “a week is a long time in politics.”
