By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 5: Regional parties are yet to get a clear mandate from the electorates in Meghalaya, unlike Mizoram, where the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), a regional party there, were recipients of a foolproof mandate.
Speaking about the future prospects of regional parties, UDP leader and Cabinet Minister, Paul Lyngdoh said that Meghalaya has always seen government formations through coalition politics except in 1972.
Stating that voters in the state have always been individual-centric and not party-centric, which has resulted in regional parties falling to form governments, Lyngdoh said that the people here vote on the basis of the individual capacity and charisma of the candidates without making any reference to their political affiliations.
Asked about VPP dethroning the UDP in many areas, Lyngdoh said that the UDP has the numbers with 12 MLAs, while VPP has four. He added that creation of more and more parties would dilute the appeal of regional parties and their ability to consolidate.
He said that UDP has to look at all other parties and not only VPP as a potential threat and should perform at its best.
Talking about the UDP, Lyngdoh said that the party has made tremendous improvement in terms of its seat tally, rising from 6 to 12.