SHILLONG, Sep 3: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) has confirmed that while it will contest the upcoming district council elections independently or with mutual understanding in certain areas, it intends to form a post-poll alliance with its Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) partner. This was clarified by HSPDP president KP Pangniang on Tuesday.
“When preparing for the MDC elections, we will contest separately or collaborate in specific areas, but our strategy will include forming a post-poll alliance. This approach has been our practice in previous elections and will be applied in the upcoming MDC elections as well,” said Pangniang.
This statement comes after the United Democratic Party (UDP), the HSPDP’s partner under the RDA, recently indicated that both parties have yet to make a final decision and will discuss the matter together.
Pangniang emphasised that the RDA, which has been in existence since 2017, serves as a platform to unite regional political forces, but its alliance comes into play primarily after elections. “We always contest elections independently, but we come together under the RDA in the form of a post-poll alliance,” he added.
Regarding the extension of the term of the KHADC, Pangniang expressed his surprise and disappointment. “I was expecting the MDC elections to be held as usual, but the Council’s term has been extended repeatedly. As the leader of the HSPDP, I anticipated that, according to the Government of India’s proposal, the number of seats in the two or three ADCs would increase, but to my surprise, it remains unchanged. Our party had already prepared for the MDC polls last year, and I did not expect the elections to be delayed,” he said.
