SHILLONG: UDP president Donkupar Roy has left it to the party to decide on his future as president of the party.
In an interview with The Shillong Times ahead of the party’s general council meeting on February 27 to appoint new office bearers, Roy said though there are media reports that other contenders are gearing up to contest for the post, it is up to the party to decide on the matter.
As per reports, two working presidents of the party – Bindo Lanong and Paul Lyngdoh – are in the race for the post of president. While a section of the party considers Lanong to be too old to handle the party affairs as president, some others have floated the idea of electing a young person as party chief.
“Party does not belong to me alone and everything depends on the party. If party feels I should continue I am ready, and if party wants that I should be relieved of the responsibility, let it be so,” Roy said.
However, according to Roy, as per practice, the party forms a nomination committee comprising presidents of districts and other frontal wings (youth wing, women’s wing, MLAs and MDCs) to elect the president and others on the morning of the day which is fixed for the election of the president.
“However, this year, the nomination committee will sit a day before the general council meeting scheduled for February 27 to discuss the election of the office bearers,” Roy said, while adding that the committee will report back to the general council about the discussions held in the meeting the previous day. The final decision will be taken by the general council.
The UDP leader admitted there were allegations against him that he was not giving time to the party and not reacting to the relevant issues concerning the state besides being busy in his constituency.
“Moreover, another blame is that the performance of UDP is not up to the mark as the party failed to live up to the expectations of the people in the 2013 Assembly polls, especially in Garo Hills, followed by the Lok Sabha polls in Shillong and the district council elections. Some even blamed me being the president for the poll debacle of UDP in the 2013 Assembly polls,” Roy said.
The UDP leader, however, pointed out that the 2013 Assembly polls was an ‘abnormal contest’.
“Let us accept the fact that the election in 2013 was highly abnormal due to money power. In Garo Hills, the NPP was almost wiped out. In Khasi Hills, we managed to get some seats,” Roy said.
According to Roy, a former chief minister, the victory of the State Congress is linked to Delhi as the Congress was also in power in Delhi in 2013.
People felt misguided by the State Congress leaders as they wanted the people to vote for the Congress projecting that with the Congress in Delhi, they will bring more development, Roy said.
However, Roy predicted that with a weak Congress both in the State and Delhi, the use of money power will go down in 2018. BJP is new to Meghalaya, and even if the party has money, the BJP does not have sufficient workers, Roy added.
