SHILLONG: Chief Minister of Meghalaya and national president of the National People’s Party (NPP) has firmly ruled out the possibility of pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for upcoming elections. This decision comes in the wake of the NPP’s underwhelming performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing concerns about the party’s electoral setbacks Sangma indicated that the NPP has thoroughly analyzed the reasons behind its poor showing. While he did not single out any particular party, Sangma acknowledged this. The NPP’s alignment with various political entities may have contributed to its electoral defeat.
“Somewhere along the line people have mentioned our alignment with different political parties as an issue,” Sangma stated. He elaborated this. Anti-incumbency and other factors were also considered in their review of the election results.
Looking ahead Sangma revealed that NPP is focused on addressing these challenges. The party is finding a way forward. He emphasized that the party will contest elections independently. They will do so without any pre-poll alliances. “We have always maintained our stand. We would like to contest our elections on our own ideologies. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that there will be any kind of situation where there will be tie-up” he said.
However, Sangma made it clear that while the NPP will operate independently during elections. The party remains open to forming post-poll coalitions based on the governance situation. “But we have been very clear. We work in a coalition. As and when elections are done based on the situation of governance, we decide on what to do” he added.
It is noteworthy that the BJP, member of the NPP-led ruling alliance in Meghalaya had supported NPP candidates in the Lok Sabha elections for Shillong and Tura constituencies. The BJP did not field its own candidates in Meghalaya. In the elections, Congress won the Tura seat. The newly formed Voice of the People Party (VPP) secured the Shillong seat.
ALSO READ:
ALSO WATCH: