TURA: The National People’s Party held its first regional conference in Tura on Saturday as part of the preparations for the 2018 assembly polls.
The party also appointed senior party leader Semford B Sangma as its working president.
Tura MP Conrad Sangma, party legislators and GHADC MDCs and CEM Denang T. Sangma, were present at the daylong meeting that was held at Hotel Polo Orchid in New Tura.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, senior party leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Thomas A Sangma said the regional conference was held to focus on the five districts of Garo Hills, which sends as many as 24 elected members to the state legislature.
“Given that Garo Hills has always been our party stronghold we decided to hold the conference in Tura during which several issues and agenda were taken up for discussion. The focus of the conference was to strengthen our party and prepare our party workers and leaders for the upcoming state polls,” said Thomas Sangma.
He added that the next conference could take place in West Khasi Hills as early as next month followed by another meeting in Jowai in January 2017 to expand the party footprint deeper into the rest of the state.
The conference was held in two phases, one for the elected MLAs and MDCs and another for party workers and leaders.
During the two meetings, it was decided to have a state working president and the name of former MDC of GHADC Semford B Sangma was proposed and accepted.
The conference also passed several resolutions, including the setting up of an election committee and a manifesto committee, for the 2018 polls.
Another important decision taken by the party leaders was for the setting up of a conflict resolution committee whose agenda would be to ensure disputes relating to allotment of party tickets are settled amicably.
“It is common to find more than one candidate vying for a party ticket in any constituency. So the role of the committee would be to ensure such differences are set aside and the best candidate goes through with the support of the others,” said Thomas Sangma.
In regard to any alliance with like-minded parties for the state polls the decision is being left to a state level committee which would soon be announced, informed the party leader.
“Our stand on an alliance with other political parties barring the Congress, whether pre-poll or post poll, will be taken by the state level committee,” said Sangma.
