UDP working prez denies meeting BJP leader with specific agenda
SHILLONG: BJP national spokesperson and in charge of Meghalaya, Nalin Kohli, recently met UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh here to discuss the political situation in the State and elsewhere in the North East.
There was speculation that either Lyngdoh or the UDP had plans to tie up with the BJP in the run up to the Assembly polls in 2018 which, however, was denied by the Shillong West legislator.
When contacted on Thursday, Lyngdoh said he exchanged notes with the BJP leader on the overall political situation in the North East and added that nothing specific had emerged in the meeting with Kohli.
“I have known him for the last 10 years and we are old friends. The meeting did not have any specific agenda,” Lyngdoh said.
The meeting also discussed the state of affairs in Meghalaya which is governed by the Congress-led MUA-II Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.
Asked whether the UDP will have any pre-poll alliance with the Congress in 2018, Lyngdoh replied, “The UDP’s primary concern is to strengthen the party base and we have started various initiatives in this regard.”
According to Lyngdoh, the UDP should be seen as the only state party amidst the presence of national parties and district parties in the state.