‘Common candidate a boon but decision complicated’

SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has said the MDA coalition will have an upper hand if there is a common candidate in the Lok Sabha polls but at the same time explained the complications in a coalition.
“But the decision is a complicated one since there are many political parties involved. We need to consult and find a way forward to have an agreement on common candidate,” Sangma told media persons here on Thursday.
When asked about the regional parties which want NPP to give them an opportunity to contest from Shillong parliamentary seat, Sangma said there was no discussion on seat-sharing for autonomous district councils and the Lok Sabha polls when the MDA was constituted looking at the interest of the people of the state.
The Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) comprising the UDP and the HSPDP had insisted that the regional parties should be given an opportunity to contest from Shillong parliamentary seats.
The chief minister admitted that being together in a coalition government, there are issues which the partners need to discuss.
“We may disagree but must agree to disagree also. If we decide to contest together then we will decide jointly. We also decide jointly if we decide to contest on our own. Consensus will always be there to do whatever it takes,” he said and added that coalition politics is difficult since every party has its own identity and “there is nothing wrong if the party wants to retain its popularity”.