SHILLONG: Three regional parties in the Khasi hills are yet to arrive at a consensus over the candidate for the Shillong Parliamentary seat in the ensuing Lok Sabha election scheduled to be held on April 9.
UDP is still hoping to get the support of all like-minded parties including KHNAM and HSPDP for candidate to be put up by the party.
KHNAM is looking to convince UDP to support the candidature of the People’s Candidate Forum (PCF) Rev PBM Basaiawmoit. HSPDP on the other hand has refused to comment whether they are going to review their stand to support the PCF candidate since they have come together to work with the UDP in the KHADC.
“At the moment, I would not be able to comment whether we are going review our decision to support Rev Basaiawmoit. We would be meeting in the next few days to take a final call over our support for the candidate from the Shillong Parliamentary seat,” HSPDP vice president Ardent Miller said.
He however admitted that some fresh political development had taken place in the last few days.
UDP secretary Allantry F Dkhar said that they were still hopeful of getting the support of all the likeminded parties include KHNAM and HSPDP.
“We have agreed to support the regional parties’ alliance in the KHADC with the sole intention of bringing the regional forces together.
Even before the district council election, we have tried to have a pre-poll alliance but unfortunately it did not work out,” Dkhar said.
As part of further strengthening the ties between the three regional parties, he said that he anticipated that their allies in the KHADC would come forward to support the party candidate by being the largest regional parties in the State. “At present, the party is happy to have the support of the two national parties NPP and BJP,” Dkhar said.
KHNAM president Pyndapborthiaw Saibon said, however, they would be looking to convince the UDP to support Rev Basaiawmoit.
“As of now, both the HSPDP and KHNAM have extended our support to the PCF candidate,” Saibon added.

TMC plans to join fray in State 

SHILLONG: Besides Aam Aadmi Party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is planning to put up candidates for two Lok Sabha seats in the State.
“We have a plan for Meghalaya and we approached several leaders to contest Shillong and Tura seats, but this is at the initial stage,” a party functionary said over phone from Kolkata on Wednesday.
He said the party could not field candidates during the last Assembly polls due to lack of time.
In 2004 Lok Sabha polls , the former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma with the support of  TMC chief Mamata Banerjee  had contested and won the Tura seat under the banner  Nationalist Trinamool Congress.