Parties welcome LS election date

SHILLONG: Political parties in the state have welcomed the April 11 date for the Lok Sabha elections to the two seats in Meghalaya even as they have only a month to prepare.
UDP leader Allantry Dkhar said there was no surprise regarding the date and added that this will help the MDA partners to decide on the common candidate at the earliest.
He said on social media the date was shown as April 9 and so the party was expecting the polls around that period.
NPP state president WR Kharlukhi said the party has no problem with the date as it is prepared.
“We are back from the district council polls and hence the party is very much prepared,” he said, adding that the party will soon meet to take a decision on Tura and Shillong seats.
Congress leader Deborah Marak said the date is appropriate for the state since it will be before the rains.
She hoped that the party will clear the names of the candidates for both Shillong and Tura at the earliest.
Marak is one of the applicants to contest the Tura seat.
Conrad tweets on
expectations
After the announcement of the poll date, NPP national president and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said in his tweet that the NPP has charted out a road map for the North East and the 17th Lok Sabha elections “will give the party an opportunity to expand its base in the region and raise the voice and concerns of the people loud and clear”.
“We urge the voters of the region to unite, support and join us in our endeavour,” he added.