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National People’s Party (NPP) has taken a decisive step for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, announcing its candidates for Meghalaya’s two parliamentary seats.
SHILLONG: The National People’s Party (NPP) has taken a decisive step for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, announcing its candidates for Meghalaya’s two parliamentary seats. State Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh is set to contest from the Shillong Lok Sabha seat, while Agatha Sangma, the incumbent MP, will represent NPP in the Tura seat.
Currently, Vincent Pala of the Congress holds the Shillong Lok Sabha seat. NPP State Chief and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong shed light on the selection process, stating, “Every seat has five to six candidates. Following an evaluation of all the factors up to the polling place, the party’s election committee endorsed the names of the two candidates.”
The New Indian spoke to Prestone regarding the strategy to defeat the incumbent Congress MP. “It is too early to comment on the strategy. We are now focused on holding meetings and planning our campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha polls,” Prestone said. He emphasised that it’s premature to discuss the strategy against the incumbent Congress MP, expressing a current focus on planning campaigns.
Agatha Sangma, the daughter of former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma and sister of Conrad Sangma, will continue the family legacy in the Tura Lok Sabha constituency, held by the Sangma family since 1991.
In political dynamics, NPP aligns with the NDA, where the BJP plays a minor role in Meghalaya. Although the BJP and NPP contested separately in the 2023 Assembly elections, leading to the NPP forming the government, they collaborate in both the central and state governments.
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Amid these developments, the BJP has not officially disclosed its interest in contesting seats in Meghalaya. State BJP President Rikman G Momin refrained from commenting on seat aspirations, citing the need for discussions with the high command.
These political moves in Meghalaya coincide with concerns within the NDA and its allies about seat-sharing agreements in the Northeast. In Assam, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an NDA ally, expressed the desire to contest seats ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, raising concerns about demographic differences.
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The BJP refuted these concerns, asserting that seat-sharing discussions in the state had not commenced and attributing tensions between NDA allies to Congress maneuvers.
