Shillong (Meghalaya) June 23: The BJP tightened its grip on urban Sh after Mohendro Rapsang, former Congress MLA from West Shillong, traded his old colors for saffron at the party’s state office, bringing a clutch of loyalists with him.
State president Rikman G Momin rolled out the welcome as Rapsang signed on, calling it a decisive gain for the party’s ground game in West Shillong. For the BJP, it’s more than a membership update — it’s a foothold in a constituency that has stayed just out of reach.
Rapsang isn’t a lightweight. A familiar face in Shillong’s political circles, he cut his teeth with the Congress and stormed into the 2013 Assembly race from West Shillong. In a nail-biter, he fell short against UDP’s Paul Lyngdoh by just 481 votes, a margin that marked him as a serious contender with deep local connect. Though he didn’t win, the campaign cemented his network across municipal wards, Dorbar Shnong networks, and youth groups that still shape the seat’s politics.
His move ends years of speculation about his next step and signals a realignment in West Shillong’s chessboard. Rapsang brings campaign machinery, voter familiarity, and a working knowledge of constituency fault lines — assets the BJP has been chasing to crack Shillong’s urban seats.
Party insiders see the switch as a launchpad to rebuild the BJP’s base in the capital, with Rapsang expected to drive outreach and booth-level work in the run-up to the next test. For now, the message is clear: the BJP just picked up a veteran who knows West Shillong Lane by lane, and it plans to use him.
