Shillong: The BJP Meghalaya unit has accepted the challenge of chief minister, Mukul Sangma to have a bet that the BJP would not get a single seat in the upcoming Assembly elections.
A statement issued by BJP state vice president J.A. Lyngdoh here on Thursday said that the party warmly accepted the chief minister’s challenge who stated that the BJP would not even win a single seat.
Mukul had predicted that the BJP would secure zero seats in the 2018 Assembly poll.
Defending the visit of Union minister of state for tourism, Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam to the state recently, Lyngdoh said, “the visit by central leaders of the Union government which is not official, it is not mandatory to inform. As such, spending of public money thereof does not arise. It is a desperate attempt by the chief minister to malign the BJP.”
Mukul had questioned the visit of, Alphons to the state recently where he also lambasted the chief minister and the Congress-led government. Alphons is also the BJP’s in-charge of election in Meghalaya.
Mukul however said that the travel cost of a Union minister was borne from public exchequer but neither an official tour programme was sent to the chief minister nor did the Union minister call on the chief minister, though it is the convention of a state-centre relations. The chief minister also questioned Alphons for speaking ill against the state being a minister.
Lyngdoh who termed Congress a “sinking ship” in the state said, “sitting Congress MLAs not applying for tickets for the ensuing Assembly election or some MLAs declared not to contest, is a clear apprehension of not certain to make a comeback, leave aside the Congress claim that it could still form the next government.”