Strength of the Assembly
NPP 26
UDP 11
BJP 2
HSPDP 2
PDF 2
Independent 2
TMC 5
Congress 5
VPP 4
Vacant 1
SHILLONG, April 30: The National people’s Party (NPP), riding a wave of success post the hustings, is confident of increasing its tally of 26 in the Assembly by winning the Sohiong Assembly seat election to which is slated on May 10.
A win in Sohiong will take the NPP tally to 27 and the MDA 2.0 strength to 46 in the House.
Confident of its success and visibly upset with a recent statement by its ally — UDP — that the equation will change after May 13 if the party led by Metbah Lyngdoh wins the Sohiong seat, the NPP is contemplating to ease out the former from the MDA coalition, if party spokesperson Bajop Pyngrope’s words are anything to go by.
Pyngrope said the party will ask the UDP to sit in the opposition after the declaration of the election results for the Sohiong Assembly constituency on May 13.
“We have heard from the UDP leaders that they will change the government after May 13. The UDP now needs to decide whether it will continue to be in the government after the election,” he said while addressing a public rally for party candidate, Samlin Malngiang at Rangshken on Saturday.
If the UDP wants to change the government, it should rather be in the opposition after the election result, Pyngrope said.
If the UDP is removed from the MDA equation and if the NPP wins the Sohiong seat, the government would still enjoy a comfortable majority in the Assembly with 35 members.
The NPP spokesperson said he is happy with the support for Malngiang across the constituency.
“Does the UDP have a strong organisation like the NPP? From the youth and women’s wings, we are much better organised,” he claimed.
Pyngrope said the NPP does not work only at the time of election like other parties.
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said the people of Sohiong will benefit if they elect Malngiang since the keys for development in the Secretariat are with him and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
Tynsong reminded the people that Malngiang was a part of the Cabinet in the previous NPP-led MDA government. He said the NPP candidate if elected, would have the support of eight ministers of the party and all the 25 government departments to work for the overall development of the constituency. “But if you make a mistake by electing any other candidate then it is going to be very difficult. I may not even offer tea to such a candidate. Maybe, I can give him something after he visits me 101 times,” Tynsong said.
“The ball is in your court. You will need to decide for your better future,” he added. Malngiang also spoke on the occasion.
Meanwhile, UDP leader Process T. Sawkmie said his party with 11 MLAs knows how to raise crucial issues on the right platform in the Assembly.
“We do raise issues hastily,” he said in a statement.
The former MLA also said that the UDP’s candidate for the Sohiong constituency, Synshar Kupar Lyngdoh Thabah is getting good support with each passing day.
“We are confident of winning the Sohiong seat and increasing our number of MLAs to 12,” he said.