Forging alliance a tough task: Conrad

SHILLONG: The NPP on Tuesday admitted the difficult task ahead for the party and others to forge a pre-poll alliance in the state to take on Congress considering the past experience of political parties of the state preferring post-poll alliances despite their wishes to forge pre- poll alliance before every election.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting of the state executive committee of NPP on Tuesday, the party’s national president Conrad Sangma said, “It needs a lot of sacrifices to go for pre poll alliance, even as he reiterated that the party is in favour of pre polls arrangements.
“The executive committee of NPP discussed the proposed pre-poll alliance since NPP is open to it. We have received positive inputs from the political parties and the negotiation is on”, the NPP leader said
However, Sangma said that the current focus of NPP is to strengthen the party.
To a question on seat adjustments ahead of the Assembly polls in 2018 in the context of desire of many non-Congress political parties to go for pre-poll  alliance, Sangma said that the matter would have to be discussed and admitted that it would be a challenge as a lot of sacrifice and patience is required before clinching the pre-poll deal with likeminded parties.
The NPP leader said that the party is jubilant after the former legislators FW Momin and Ledishon Nongsaiang  joined the party and indicated that more such leaders are inclined to join the party.
NPP  has decided to release its vision document which will guide the party in the 2018 Assembly polls.
NPP will hold the annual convention of the party either in October last or first week of November for the election of the new state president of the party.
The state executive committee meeting has entrusted the GHADC to set up a cultural centre and a museum to promote the culture and traditions of Garos. “We are in the process of identifying the land”, the NPP chief said.
Another decision is that the PA Sangma Foundation in association with Tura Government College will help the students to improve in Mathematics , Science and entrepreneurship in Garo Hills aimed at intellectually uplifting the students.