SHILLONG: The idea of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance to set up common candidates from Shillong and Tura seats for the Lok Sabha election seems to be falling apart with most of the partners eager to present their own candidates before the consensus.
The UDP on Wednesday approved the name of former MLA Jemino Mawthoh as the party candidate.
UDP leader Allantry Franklin Dkhar told media persons that the party will propose the name of Mawthoh as the common candidate in the coordination committee of the MDA. However, the party is yet to discuss the matter either with HSPDP, its pre-poll partner in the Assembly polls or with KHNAM and PDF.
Earlier, HSPDP leader Martle Mukhim remained non-committal on the proposal of UDP for a common candidate.
On the other hand, the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) that has four MLAs in the MDA has also decided to propose its party candidate as the common candidate of the alliance.
“We have a candidate and we would like to present the name of our candidate as a common candidate in the coordination committee,” PDF MLA Hamlet Dohling said.
He said the party cannot divulge the name of the candidate but added that it has a very strong candidate and his name will be proposed directly in the coordination committee since the party respects the alliance.
The BJP, an ally of MDA with two members, is also exploring the opportunity of fielding its own candidate from both Shillong and Tura seats and the party leadership in Meghalaya has been asked to assess the ground reality about the prospects of the party in the elections.
The party is also in consultations with some prominent politicians of the state to nominate them as the party candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.
The NCP too has maintained that it would have to get a word from their central leadership as to whether the party would support the common candidate or field its own.
