By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Infighting within Congress will help my party perform better in 2013 assembly election, said UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh.
Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Lyngdoh said the party is confident of emerging as the single largest party after the election.
When asked if his party is planning to come out of the Government, he said the party has no plan to withdraw its support from the Government at this moment.
“We do not want to be blamed for the fall of the government,” he said adding the UDP, however, is not happy with the performance of the MUA government.
The MUA Government has failed in several fronts, he said.
Despite being in the Government, Lyngdoh said that the party does not have the control on all the policy matters of the Government since they are not in the driver’s seat.
“We are only passengers in the same bus,” Lyngdoh added.
Nongthymmai stalemate: Meanwhile, to end the stalemate over selection of candidate for prestigious Nongthymmai constituency, the UDP’s State Election Committee (SEC) has constituted a five-member sub-committee to study the issue. The party is facing a huge dilemma in deciding candidate for Nongthymmai seat since there are two major contenders for the ticket. They are the sitting MDC from Nongthymmai Latiplang Kharkongor and Dr Jemino Mawthoh, who had contested the 2008 Assembly election from Malki-Nongthymmai on an NCP ticket.
“We have constituted the committee to submit a suitable recommendation which would help the party to select the best candidate out of the two aspirants,” Lyngdoh told reporters after a meeting of the party’s poll committee on Tuesday. “We would like to ensure there is no serious damage to the party due the allotment of the ticket to any one of the aspirants,” he said while hinting that the ticket is also likely to go to Kharkongor even though denying there is an agreement as part of merger of both KHNAM and UDP to give preference to the sitting MDCs while allotting of the ticket. Both Kharkongor and Mawthoh enjoy the backing of the two working presidents of the party, Paul Lyngdoh and Bindo M Lanong, respectively.The committee is headed by party general secretary BG Momin as its convener while senior party leader RA Lyngdoh is the assistant convener.
The other three members of the committee are Mawhati MLA Donbok Khymdeit, former Jowai MLA Sing Mulieh and senior party leader K Lyngkhoi.
Meanwhile, the UDP has also decided to defer the announcement of the party candidate for Jirang constituency since there two ticket aspirants.
“We have decided to defer the announcement of the party ticket for Jirang till July,” Lyngdoh said. The two ticket aspirants are L Peterman Thangkhiew and Wandalin Lapang.
Meanwhile, the party announced candidates four Assembly constituencies.
They are Field Marshall Mawphniang (Umsning), Bires Nongsiej (Mawkyrwat), Ludenberg Momin (Kharkutta) and Locksley Robinhood Momin (North Tura).