2018 polls: UDP, BJP to finalise deal shortly
SHILLONG: A day after HSPDP chief Ardent Basaiawmoit batted for a single party government in the State post-2018 polls, the United Democratic Party (UDP) working president Bindo M Lanong has appealed to all the regional parties to go for a pre-poll alliance to form a consolidated front to oust Congress from the State.
Indicating that his party will go for a pre-poll alliance with BJP, Lanong told reporters on Monday that the pre-poll alliance would legally bind all the political parties even after the elections.
Referring to his attempt to unite all the regional parties just before the recently-held by-poll to Tura Lok Sabha constituency, he said that HSPDP did not attend the meeting.
“It was a clear indication that the party is not interested for any alliance, be it pre-poll or post-poll,” he said.
According to him, the mushrooming of parties as well as failures of the leaders of these parities to understand the merits of pre-poll alliance has helped Congress to remain in power in the state.
Sharing the history of coalition politics in the state, Lanong informed that the All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and HSPDP had contested the 1983 Assembly election jointly (pre-poll alliance) and they formed the government with 32 MLAs (APHLC =17 and HSPDP =15). “However, the Government did not last long due to defection and Captain Williamson Sangma formed a Congress-led coalition government with the help of the defected members of APHLC and HSPDP,” he said.
According to Lanong, on November 16, 1984 both the parties formed a new party — Hill People’s Union (HPU).
APHLC was finally dissolved at Dilma in Garo Hills in1986, he said adding “We dissolved APHLC to bring leaders of both the parties under one umbrella”.
The HSPDP later retracted and decided to retain the party in violation of the agreement, he said adding that only HS Lyngdoh and his nephew Tuberling Lyngdoh remained in the party.
Meanwhile, HSPDP went through various difficulties and the then HSPDP president EK Mawlong finally merged the party and even the HPU was dissolved in 1997 leading to the birth of United Democratic Party (UDP), he said.
“Going by the trend, it seems Ardent Basaiawmoit wants to follow the footsteps of his predecessor HS Lyngdoh to retain HSPDP. But it is upto him and we don’t have any problem,” Lanong said. UDP was the part of NDA even before the BJP formed the Government at the Centre, he said adding that the modalities of UDP-BJP alliance will be decided by both the parties shortly.