SHILLONG: Though the central leadership of NCP is supporting UPA’s presidential nominee Meira Kumar, NCP state president Sanbor Shullai will attend the meeting of NDA’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind with MLAs at Umiam on Friday.
Earlier, during the meeting of 17 opposition parties last month, NCP leader Sharad Pawar was one among the leaders, who had proposed the name of Kumar.
However, Shullai told reporters on Thursday that it was after the request from his friend and BJP leader from Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, that he decided to attend Kovind’s address.
Shullai did not attend the meeting of the MLAs addressed by Kumar on Wednesday though his NCP colleague Marthon Sangma participated.
Sangma will not attend the meeting at Umiam.
This indicates that there is an apparent split in NCP.
To a question, Shullai said that there was no official communication from the NCP central leadership as to whom to support during the presidential polls. “Even if I attend the meeting called by the NDA presidential nominee, what is important is that the election is through secret ballot,” Shullai said.
