Shillong: UDP MP candidate Vivanstone G Kharngapkynta has said that elected legislators who decide to switch parties after winning an election should first resign and seek a fresh mandate from the people, instead of treating their elected positions as a means of political bargaining.
Speaking on Tuesday, Kharngapkynta said that if elected as an MP, he would raise the issue in Parliament and push for a provision preventing MPs and MLAs from switching political parties during their entire term.
He said that any elected representative who wishes to leave their party should first resign and return to the people for a fresh mandate, rather than “treating the office of an MP or MLA like a business”.
Questioning the eight UDP MLAs who recently joined the BJP, Kharngapkynta asked whether they had secured the issues and commitments they had cited when explaining their decision to switch parties.
He also sarcastically questioned whether Union Home Minister Amit Shah had come to Shillong to “put mufflers” around them, referring to the MLAs’ alleged trip to Delhi.
Kharngapkynta said people had questioned why UDP MLAs elected in Meghalaya had gone to Delhi to formally join the BJP instead of making such a move in the state.
He further said that if the Speaker examines the matter impartially, the eight MLAs could potentially face disqualification for leaving the party without first forming the required group under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
