SHILLONG, OCT 23: The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) today said it is yet to take a call whether to field candidates from both seats – Shillong and Tura – in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, NPP state president WR Kharlukhi categorically denied the allegations that the party is intending to fight from both the parliamentary seats next year.
“It is just a point of view of people. Different people have different views but as a party we have not taken such a stand (to field candidates from both seats),” he said.
While the Shillong parliamentary constituency is presently being represented by opposition Congress leader Vincent H Pala, Tura seat however is now without an MP following the resignation of NPP national president and chief minister Conrad K Sangma.
The NPP is leading the six-party Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government which consisted of the United Democratic Party (UDP), People’s Democratic Front (PDF), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Asked, the state president informed that the party would soon discuss the proposal of the UDP for having common candidates.
“Yes, we will be having a discussion on this with regards to the proposal of the UDP. We will also be sitting as an MDA,” he said.
The UDP earlier had also put a condition that the NPP should contest from Tura seat and itself from Shillong seat.
Asked, Kharlukhi however denied that the UDP, which is the main ally of the MDA, had put forward such condition. “I told you we have not met and as leaders we will be discussing the matter but there is no such condition from the UDP,” he said.
“As a party we will sit and as MDA also we will sit as there are other constituents like PDF, HSPDP, BJP and others,” he added.
On the allegations that there is already resentment in the MDA as BJP and other parties are planning to contest against each other in the LS polls, the NPP state president responded by saying those (allegations) are only media reports. “That (resentment) is actually not there because people can speculate but take it from me there is no such thing,” Kharlukhi claimed.
By Our Reporter
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