Shillong: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party is distancing itself from the United Democratic Party. This follows the UDP leadership rejecting HSPDP proposals for consensus candidates in the Shillong seat twice. The rejections occurred during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the current by-election cycle.
HSPDP president KP Pangniang pushed for Dr. D.R.L. Nonglait in 2024. For the upcoming by-poll, they backed Badariti Lyngdoh Nonglait, the granddaughter of late party leader Hoping Stone Lyngdoh. The UDP said no to both. Pangniang remains calm. "We were not upset when our proposals were rejected because we understand that the UDP has more MLAs," he said.
The HSPDP will not support UDP candidate V.G. Kynta in the upcoming race. Despite the friction, Pangniang insists the Regional Democratic Alliance remains intact. He claims the coalition exists to solve state issues, not just to win seats. The alliance is not a merger. Both parties keep their own identity.
The shift follows reports that eight UDP legislators defected to the BJP. Pangniang warned that if the UDP wants to fold the alliance, the blame sits with them. The HSPDP marks 58 years of operation while pushing for issue-based cooperation between the two regional groups.
Updated at 28th September 2026 at 10:16am
Pangniang brushes off the departure of eight UDP legislators to the BJP, calling it a huge test for regional forces rather than an existential threat. He pointed to the party's own history, noting that roughly 60 MLAs have jumped ship since 1972, including former members Renikton L. Tongkhar and Samlin Malngiang. He insists that parties survive even when individual politicians abandon their mandates.
The HSPDP chief warned that national parties are actively poaching local representatives. He urged regional leaders to tighten their ranks and coordinate more effectively to keep their political space from being swallowed by Delhi-based outfits.
Meanwhile, Congress state president Vincent H. Pala claims the BJP will eventually weaponize central agencies like the ED and CBI against its current allies. Pala predicted the NPP is the next target for the BJP, citing recent visits of NPP leaders to New Delhi as proof of brewing internal shifts. The NPP leadership has flatly denied these claims, asserting their ranks remain solid.
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