NEDA confident of clinching power in M’laya

GUWAHATI: The BJP-backed North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) which has non-Congress, non-Left parties from the Northeast under its fold, has exuded confidence of winning power in Meghalaya after the next Assembly election.
NEDA convenor and BJP leader from Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the NEDA had struck roots in Meghalaya but was not doing anything as on date to disturb the ruling Congress-led coalition in the state as it was confident of winning power in Meghalaya after the next Assembly election.
“We have solid constituents in Meghalaya who will ensure that a NEDA government is formed in the Hill State after the next Assembly election,” Sarma said while talking to the media in the aftermath of a NEDA constituent, People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), usurping power in Arunachal Pradesh from Congress on Friday.
Having Arunachal in its kitty, the BJP-floated NEDA has now set eyes on Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura where elections are due within next two years.
“We have a bright chance in Manipur where anti-incumbency is getting very strong against the Congress government headed by Ibobi Singh that has been in power for 15 years at a stretch. Already a very senior Congress MLA Y Erabot has joined the BJP on September 11 quitting Congress while many other Congress MLAs in Manipur are in touch with us. The Congress MLAs in Manipur are getting disillusioned with Congress leadership. The Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) in Manipur is already with us,” Sarma said. He further claimed that there were developments in Tripura which were not going to augur well for the Left Front government there in the next Assembly election. The tribal people are fast getting alienated with the Left Front because of its anti-tribal policies and the NEDA and the BJP stood to gain from the situation.