SHILLONG: The National People’s Party (NPP) has claimed that it does not need to be in an alliance after the Assembly elections.
The claim may surprise poll observers in the state because the party has been branded as having nexus with the BJP.
NPP state president WR Kharlukhi said the party is confident of forming the next government on its own and does not need to stitch an alliance with any political party.
He also said the NPP would not work with any party, adding that it has its own distinctive ideology.
The Congress continues to associate NPP with BJP during its election campaigns.
The ruling party had also dared NPP to withdraw its support to the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
However, the NPP leadership has asserted that the party does not believe in following the ideology of other political parties.
Though NPP is part of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance and associated with the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur, it has distanced itself from the saffron party in Meghalaya.
During the Manipur polls, NPP did not enter into any pre-poll alliance with BJP but later the non-Congress parties, including NPP, came together to stitch a post-poll alliance.
According to NPP leaders, the party candidates in Meghalaya are fighting against many BJP nominees in several constituencies for the February 27 polls.
South Tura constituency where NPP’s Agatha Sangma will take on BJP’s Billykid Sangma is one such example.
Earlier, media reports had also claimed that the NPP was open for an alliance with the Congress which, however, was denied by the party.
