With the fate it met in Goa and Manipur last year, the Congress on Saturday rushed its top strategists Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to Meghalaya to explore the possibilities of forming a Government as election trends projected it to be the single-largest party in the State. For, trailing closely, rival NPP, along with the BJP, could pip the Congress to the post eventually as had happened in Goa and Manipur.
Meghalaya, like it has been doing for the last few decades, threw up a hung verdict yet again.
Patel and Nath reached Shillong and held discussions with party leaders, including Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who has been at the helm in the State for 10 years. If the Congress fails to retain Meghalaya, it will have a Government in only Mizoram in the North-East. And Mizoram will go to polls later this year.
Patel said he is confident that his party will form a Government in Meghalaya, and it will not be a repeat of the events witnessed in Manipur and Goa as the Congress was outmanoeuvred despite winning more seats.
With Congress chief Rahul Gandhi abroad, the loss of the party in the North-East is being attributed to infighting, lack of resources, not regular attention from the central leadership and an ill-managed campaign.