SHILLONG: The UDP’s central executive committee will meet on April 17 to decide whether to withdraw support to the KHADC coalition party, People’s Democratic Forum (PDF), led by suspended Congress member P.N Syiem.
When contacted, UDP working president Bindo Lanong said before the April 17 meeting, the party will fix a meeting with Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
The UDP sub-committee on KHADC affairs, of which Lanong is the chairman, has recommended withdrawing support to PDF for the alleged corruption charges.
Lanong recently told the media that the central executive committee would decide whether to support PDF.
The UDP panel took the step following the report of the House Committee that placed its findings at a special session to discuss illegal transfer of Rs 2 crore to the accounts of private individuals.
UDP pitches for ballot papers
The echo of the anti-EVM rumblings in several states was heard in the State too with UDP pitching for the use of ballot papers.
National parties like the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have been voicing concerns over the functioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) after the recently concluded assembly polls.
UDP leader Bindo Lanong said, “We don’t trust EVMs. These are human-made machines.”
The leader added that the machines are not fool-proof and in developed countries like the US and Japan, EVMs are not used.
“After Conrad (Sangma) won the elections, even the CM (Mukul Sangma) said he did not trust EVMs,” Lanong said.
This is not the first time that UDP has expressed its reservations for EVMs. Earlier too the party was sceptical about voting machines.
In 2012, UDP had urged the Election Commission to revert to the old ballot system if new upgraded EVMs are not introduced in 2013, the year in which the State went to Assembly polls.
Again, in 2014 before the elections to the three District Councils, UDP had submitted a petition to the Election Commission questioning the procurement of new EVMs by the District Council Affairs Department.
On Sunday, Lanong said the number of voters in Meghalaya is less and reverting to ballot papers is possible.
The UDP leader pointed out that several political parties have no trust in the EVMs used earlier since they could be tampered easily.
