SHILLONG, Jan 2: The NPP’s newly-elected spokesperson Ampareen Lyngdoh on Monday was dismissive of any impact from the social media campaign run by the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in support of the title contenders Trinamool Congress.
“I do not foresee the I-PAC campaign helping the TMC in Meghalaya like what had happened in West Bengal. The people on the ground will not understand the social media campaign since they are more concerned about the basic amenities,” Lyngdoh said.
According to her, the digital divide in the state is still very big as there are many areas which are yet to be covered by mobile network connectivity.
“My only appeal to the people who have access to the technology is to analyse before believing any information being shared in the social media,” she said.
She admitted that the I-PAC had a formidable team which has spread throughout the state and is garnering people’s support for the TMC.
Asserting that the I-PAC strategy will not work in Meghalaya, Lyngdoh said party politics was not the way forward in the state.
“Individuals build the party image in their respective constituencies,” she said, while predicting that voters will gravitate towards the NPP in as many as 14 constituencies in the Khasi-Jaintia region.
“Sitting MLAs from the Congress, HSPDP and PDF are coming to us,” she pointed out.
Lyngdoh sounded confident that people of the state would want to be ruled by parties from the state instead of political parties from outside.
“Earlier there was no unity and it allowed political parties from outside the state to influence our politics. Now that the Congress has been reduced to zero there is a vacuum. Around nine or ten political parties contesting the 17 seats in Khasi Hills alone. Should we create more political parties and add to the confusion,” she added.
