SHILLONG, Feb 7: United Democratic Party working president Paul Lyngdoh on Tuesday said the question of an alliance does not arise at the moment since the party is confident of crossing the magic number of 31 seats.
“If we think in terms of an alliance today, what is the point of putting up 40-plus candidates? The question of an alliance at this stage does not arise because we will try to win all 40 seats. If not, we will win at least 31 plus seats,” he said after filing his nomination papers from the West Shillong constituency.
He, however, admitted the UDP was rejected by the electorate in 2018 and it could thus manage only six of 60 seats. “It is the people who ultimately decide. But this time, we are very confident as the surveys indicate we are headed towards a landslide victory in many constituencies,” he said.
A decisive mandate will negate any scope for an alliance, he added. “Why should we always go to the past to predict our future? Let’s have a fresh look at everything in the first Assembly election after the completion of 50 years of statehood,” Lyngdoh said.
“A government led by a single party would be ideal for the state. It will leave no room for a blame game and the responsibilities can be fixed,” he said.
He declined to comment on the veteran politician, Bindo Mathew Lanong’s observation that the UDP will not get even 10 seats. “I do not know how he made his calculations but I respect his opinion,” he said.
On being accused of doling out freebies in his constituency, Lyngdoh said he would not have lost the last election in 2018 had he used money power.
“People look up to me as a policy maker, as someone who initiates and takes part in debates in the House. This allegation does not worry me at all,” he said.
He chose not to assess his National People’s Party rival Mohendro Rapsang. “The electorate is the best judge. I would rather focus on my strengths than his weaknesses,” he said.
Lyngdoh touched upon the Inner-Line Permit issue, which is now “beyond the scope of the Meghalaya Assembly” and in the Centre’s court. “At this stage, the issue can only be followed up,” he said.
He said the UDP has prioritises issues such as checking drug addiction and school dropouts and creating job avenues for the youth.
