By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Congress had made an attempt to break the two-member NPP by approaching party legislator Nihim D Shira to join its fold.
Informing this here, NPP leader Conrad Sangma said that the Congress tried to send feelers to the party legislator Shira who conveyed to the NPP leaders that he was happy to be a part of the newly formed party.
The NPP has only two members in the House with James Sangma being its other legislator.
“The offer to Shira was to resign from NPP and to contest from Congress, but the legislator out rightly rejected the offer”, Sangma said.
The Congress had sent feelers to the legislator just before the Budget Session.
According to Sangma, the legislator shared the matter with the party leadership and assured his commitment to continue with the party.
When contacted, Shira said he was happy to be a part of the Opposition.
The Congress has as many as 29 legislators in the House of 60 and since the party is two seats short of simple majority, it made the move to woo the legislator to its fold.
To a query, the NCP leader, Conrad Sangma asserted that despite having only two members, there is no question of the party merging with the Congress.
According to Sangma, his father P A Sangma, who is the National President of NPP, floated the party in the State and the NPP is gearing up for the future elections including the contest for the district councils.
“We are working hard to reach out to the people at the grass root level”, Sangma said.
UDP denies alliance talks with Cong
Meanwhile, the UDP has denied reports that it is currently in talks with the Congress on the possibilities of working together again.
Reacting to news reports which appeared in a section of the press here on Wednesday, UDP working president Bindo Mathew Lanong said that the report is totally misleading and aimed at creating confusion
in the minds of the people.
He said that the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) which met earlier this month has taken a clear stand that they are not going to be part of the present Congress led MUA-II Government.
“We would want to play a constructive role by being in the opposition,” Lanong said.
The UDP working president also made it clear that the CEC would take a final call on any change in the