Thiruvananthapuram: Alphons Kannanthanam, the Union minister of state for tourism, was the key campaigner in Meghalaya. Initially, there were apprehensions about how he would pull it off for the BJP, but his Christian card seems to have paid off. Otherwise brandishing their “Hindutva” brand of politics, BJP was careful when it came to a Christian dominated state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah relied on their trump card, Alphons Kannanthanam.
Congress legislator K. C. Joseph told DC that Mr Kannanthanam played his part well as a Christian minister and connected with voters who were loyal to the Congress. His days at a seminary there also helped him to be in good stead. He anticipated the possibility of having a hung Assembly. “It was on the cards that the mandate would be in splinters. I have landed in Meghalaya for talks with the independents who play a crucial role. It is too early to write off the BJP. Give me a day,” Mr Kannanthanam told DC with confidence.
To form the government a party or alliance needs 31 seats. While BJP has managed to get only two so far, still he's hopeful. The National People's Party (NPP), formed in 2012 by expelled Congress stalwart P. A. Sangma, has won 19 seats while the Congress has got 21. Independents have won 3 seats.
KPCC vice-president Laly Vincent who was in Meghalaya for almost two weeks for campaigning was surprised to see the way BJP approached the local issues. She recalled that there is a sizable population of Bengalis in Shillong where the National People's Party (NPP) led by Conrad Sangma MP had ruffled the feathers of the locals by shutting down coal mines. “Immediately the central BJP leadership sent Nirmala Sitharaman, Union defence minister, which saw the locals voting in favour of the BJP,” she said.
