SHILLONG: Loniak Marbaniang, who was the candidate of the Regional Parties Alliance (RPA) in 2004 to contest the Shillong Lok Sabha seat, said there is a difference between RPA and the coalition parties in the current MDA on the issue of common candidate.
While the RPA had discussed the issue of common candidate and amicably arrived at a consensus, the case of MDA is different as each political party is projecting its own candidate before the coalition.
Moreover, BJP is planning to contest separately.
Marbaniang said in 2004 though he was from the HSPDP, there was unanimity in the RPA meeting to project his candidature for the Lok sabha polls.
“I was the common candidate of the RPA supported by UDP at that point of time though a few names were discussed”, Marbaniang said.
UDP was part of the Congress led government in 2004, but the regional parties decided to field the RPA candidate with a free symbol.
According to Marbaniang, he could not win the election due to resource crunch.
P R Kyndiah of the Congress won the seat.
