SHILLONG : Pynthorumkhrah MLA and senior BJP leader Alexander Laloo Hek has said sitting legislators and former MLAs are in touch with the party ahead of the 2028 Meghalaya Assembly election, but declined to identify them.
Hek said the BJP has conducted several surveys to understand why it has not been able to expand beyond two Assembly seats in Meghalaya, describing the problem as “complex”.
“We have also done lots of survey work. It is a complex situation and it will take a lot of time to explain,” Hek said. He said the party had now identified the problem and was working to address it gradually through greater outreach.
The BJP currently has two MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly Hek and Sanbor Shullai. The party has been trying to expand its presence in the state ahead of the next Assembly election.
Hek said several prominent political leaders are interested in joining the BJP but refused to disclose their names, saying premature disclosure could affect political developments.
“Many big names are very interested to join the party, but we will not give you any name now as it is a confidential matter,” he said.
He confirmed that the group includes both sitting legislators and former MLAs, but said the political situation could change before the election.
“I will tell you, sitting legislators are also there and ex-MLAs are also there. But I will not name any of them now,” Hek said. He said the BJP expects the political picture to become clearer closer to the election, which he said is about one-and-a-half years away.
Hek also called for greater involvement of young people in Meghalaya politics, saying the next generation should be given more space to enter public life. “It has become a very high time now to involve the youth in politics. We need the youth now, the new generation to be there in politics,” he said.
Hek, who has spent nearly three decades in politics, said young people should decide for themselves which political party they want to join, but urged them to participate actively in politics.
Worth mentioning that former West Shillong MLA Mohendro Rapsang joined the BJP in June after leaving the National People’s Party, adding to the party’s efforts to expand its political base ahead of 2028.
