SHILLONG, June 5: National People’s Party (NPP) state president, WR Kharlukhi has kept All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) stalwart, Mukul Sangma out of the race for the Chief Minister’s post after next year’s Assembly elections.
“Once upon a time, Dr Sangma was a contender for the throne. I am very clear that post-2023, he will be just a supporter of anybody who will occupy the throne,” Kharlukhi, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said on Sunday. “He was a contender in the Congress. But, now that he is in the AITC, he has to be content with being a supporter of anyone occupying it,” the NPP leader said, reacting to the AITC’s constant attack on the government.
“Who knows, had he remained in the Congress, 2023 might have been his again. I say this because the Congress had bagged 20-21 seats (it was 21) the last time,” Kharlukhi said.
He felt the TMC may not get even 10 seats.
Asked if the series of allegations levelled against the NPP will affect its poll prospects, he said people had written off the party ahead of last year’s by-elections to three seats but the results proved otherwise.
He dismissed the accusations as “political propaganda” and “political statements”. Elections are near and the NPP is being targeted as it is in power and seen as a formidable force, he said.
“In elections, it is not just about the party but also the MLA representing the constituency. If the party is popular but the MLA does not perform, the party will lose,” Kharlukhi said.
On Sangma’s prediction that many MLAs of the NPP will not get re-elected due to anti-incumbency, he said, “I would request him to take care of his folks to get them together.”
Kharlukhi further said the AITC is trying to step into the shoes of the NPP and projecting itself as the party to form the next government. He said this is the reason why it is targeting the government.
With the polls round the corner, the AITC has launched an all-out attack on the government on various issues.
