SHILLONG — Dr Jemino Mawthoh’s BJP induction on Saturday came with a clear electoral message from A.L. Hek: the party is targeting a BJP-led government in Meghalaya in 2028.
Speaking at the induction, Pynthorumkhrah MLA A.L. Hek said the BJP was looking beyond the immediate political developments and preparing for the 2028 Assembly election.
“Our targets and our goals are in 2028,” he said, setting out the party’s ambition of forming a BJP-led government in Meghalaya.
Hek said the task now was to build the party at the constituency level and increase its strength in the Assembly. He told BJP workers that every constituency would matter because, as he put it, “In politics, numbers are very important.” A majority, he said, would be necessary for the party to form the government.
Hek also recalled his efforts to bring Mawthoh into the BJP, saying he had visited Mawthoh’s residence several times with former Meghalaya BJP in-charge Rituraj Sinha since 2021. The visits were aimed at persuading Mawthoh to join the BJP and contest the 2023 Assembly election.
Defending Mawthoh’s conduct before joining the BJP, Hek said the former UDP leader first resigned from his previous party and then stayed away from politics rather than immediately moving elsewhere.
“He didn’t want to betray anybody, he didn’t want to hurt anyone,” Hek said, calling Mawthoh “a man of principle.”
Hek also spoke about Mawthoh beyond his political career, saying his degrees and positions were not what defined him.
“Above all is humanity,” he said, describing service to people as the quality that mattered most.
