By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 27: Ahead of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) polls, the National People’s Party (NPP) has exuded confidence, saying that odds are in its favour with many members from the Opposition, including Congress, resigning and joining forces with them.
“We are doing pretty well. In many constituencies, we are growing and a lot of Congress members have also been resigning and joining the NPP, showing their faith in our leadership. I believe it will fare very well for us as each and every candidate is putting in their best,” NPP’s national youth wing president, Nickey Nongkhlaw, said while speaking to The Shillong Times.
With regard to the mushrooming competition for the GHADC elections, Nongkhlaw said, “There are many that have jumped into the fray. However, there is a lot of positive response coming to the NPP with members of other parties resigning and joining us, which clearly shows that the people from Garo Hills have faith in the leadership of NPP”.
“As NPP, we stand strong and we will do better than other political parties,” he added.
With regard to the party campaigns for the upcoming polls, he said the campaigning process will get more aggressive as D-Day draws closer.
Asked about the USP of the NPP that will ensure its victory, Nongkhlaw said, “The leadership, the progress which the NPP-led MDA government has brought, not only to the people of Garo Hills but the entire state. These factors will draw people closer to the party”.
“We have faced a lot of issues but we did not run away from it; we have acknowledged them and are working towards finding solutions to those issues, be it in the state government or the council,” he added.
It may be mentioned that as many as 185 candidates have jumped into the fray to contest the upcoming GHADC elections on April 12 for 29 seats.
West Garo Hills has the highest number of 90 candidates vying for their place among the 13 constituencies, including Tura.
East Garo Hills district, on the other hand, has the lowest number of 16 candidates with three constituencies.
Twenty-three candidates are vying for the four seats on offer in North Garo Hills while as many as 32 candidates are contesting for the five constituencies in South Garo Hills.
South West Garo Hills, comprising four constituencies, has 24 candidates ready for the electoral battle.