SHILLONG: NCP’s National General Secretary, Praful Patel on Tuesday announced party’s candidates for six constituencies who will contest the upcoming Meghalaya Assembly polls.
‘The six candidates are ECB Bamon (Mowkaiaw LAC), John D Sangma (Ranikor LAC), Tyngshain Lapang (Mawhati LAC)), Ronaldson Dkhar (Nongthymmai LAC), Predecessor Rumnong (Pynthorumkhrah LAC) and Andrew Charles Gare (Mawwhynrut LAC)
Patel while speaking to reporters here after laying the foundation for NCP’s office said that the party would contest 22 out of 24 seats in Garo Hills while it will contest around 20 seats in the Khasi Jacinta Hills region.
Interestingly, NCP which is considered to be a close ally of the Congress will have an understanding with few of the regional parties in the state like PDF and UDP.
The top leader of the party slammed the Congress-led State Government saying there has been misgovernance of the highest order in Meghalaya and State Government has failed miserably to provide good governance to the people of the state.
He also attacked the State Government over the failure of the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) even as he added that the money could have been used for upgradation of hospitals and medical facilities in the state.
He also criticised the Government over the long-pending boundary dispute and the issue of coal mining which is yet to resolved.
“Meghalaya in terms of road and infrastructure is lagging behind other states in the North East,” he said.
The NCP leader also lambasted the BJP saying though the saffron party is ruling at the centre but it does not exist in the hearts of the people of the state due to its divisive policies and accused it of infringing upon the food habits, cultural and religious freedom of the people.
NCP’s National General Secretary, Praful Patel accused the State Congress of not doing justice with two of its MLAs- Sanbor Shullai and Marthon Sangma. Patel said, “We don’t owe any reason to be with Congress.”
Asserting that the Congress did not considered NCP as important, he revealed that former party MLA, Sanbor Shullai was asked to resign from the post of Deputy Speaker to be a Minister.
“We were only in paper with them and Congress used us because they needed numbers,” he said while ruling out any sort of alliance with BJP.
Meanwhile, he also said that two MLAs of NCP in the state who are all set to leave the party have done nothing for the growth of party in the state.