By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: After a disastrous performance in the recently concluded Assembly election in the State, the National People’s Party (NPP) held a review meeting here on Thursday to chalk out future strategy for the party.
Presided over by party’s national president PA Sangma, the meeting decided on strengthening the NPP at the grass root level.
An ad hoc committee was also appointed to reorganize the party at the block and district levels and to go for mass enrollment in the State.
The newly formed committee was also directed to conduct elections and set up a full-fledged State Committee at the earliest.
The ad hoc committee consisted of Dr. W. R. Kharlukhi as president, Conrad Sangma (working president), Simon Siangshai, John Manner Marak, Harvey Jimmy Momin (vice presidents), Babeth K Sangma (treasurer), Dr Charles Reuben Lyngdoh,(general secretary of administration, media, Nicholas Marwein, Nihim D Shira, MLA and Satto R Marak as general secretaries and James Sangma, MLA as chief spokesperson.
While stating that the new committee will work for the MDC and Lok Sabha elections, NPP leader Conrad Sangma admitted that the newly floated party could not ‘reach out to the people in the polls.’
Soon after the poll debacle, NPP state president WR Kharlukhi had resigned from the post on moral grounds.
Reacting to a query as to who will now replace Kharlukhi, Conrad said nothing has been decided as yet and the new state unit president will be appointed only after the election process, which may take up about six months, is over.
The NPP had won only in two of the 32 seats it contested from in the Assembly polls.
In what was a bigger jolt to the party, former Opposition leader and NPP candidate from Selsella constituency in Garo Hills went down to Clement Marak of the Congress thus raising serious questions about the party’s/Purno and family’s future in the political scheme of things in the coming days.