SHILLONG: As the poll bugle has finally been sounded, different political parties in the state are now gearing up to seek the mandate of the people of the state.
The Shillong Times spoke to a few leaders of political parties to seek their response regarding the preparedness of their respective parties for the upcoming polls.
National People’s Party (NPP) State President, WR Kharlukhi said that the party is targeting a majority of the seats in the election and has been preparing itself well for the exercise.
United Democratic Party (UDP) leader, Bindo M Lanong said that the party is going ahead in full swing for the elections and expecting to win the elections with a good margin. “The UDP along with HSPDP, GNC will form the government with the support of some independents,” Lanong said.
The joint combination of UDP, HSPDP and GNC is also quite optimistic that the regional force will emerge victorious in the elections scheduled to be held 38-days later.
Congress leader and spokesperson, Ronnie V Lyngdoh said that the party is in fully prepared for the forthcoming polls. He said the process of preparedness began quite a few months ago. “We are going to emerge victorious with at least 34-35 seats,” Lyngdoh said with confidence.
The former MLA and BJP leader A L Hek also claimed that the party is going to form the government in the state. The BJP is going to contest all the 60 seats, Hek said.
The election this year is considered extremely crucial for the Congress as the party has suffered desertion of several of its senior leaders. The Congress considered Meghalaya as its fortress and it remains to be seen if the party retains its political bastion. On the other hand, the political fate of the NPP also hangs in a balance as it could not perform well in the 2013 Assembly polls. The NPP is trying very hard to make its presence felt in the state with the help of those leaders who deserted Congress to join it.
As far as the BJP is concerned, the coming polls would also prove to be a litmus test for the party. The party, as of now, has managed to get few sitting MLAs into its bag.
