SHILLONG, MAR 3: Senior BJP leader and Pynthorumkhrah MLA A. L. Hek on Tuesday said that any decision on contesting the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha byelection would be taken by the party’s central leadership.

“The decision rests with the central leadership. We will follow whatever instruction the central leadership gives us,” Hek told reporters when asked whether the Meghalaya unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would push for contesting the seat.

He said the state unit would be formally informed about the byelection in due course and confirmed that internal discussions were already under way.

“From the party point of view, we are also discussing whether to set up a candidate for the Shillong MP byelection or not. We have many potential candidates, but we have not yet decided on whether to contest,” he said.

Hek added that the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party – Meghalaya would soon convene a meeting to deliberate on the matter.

“Very soon we will sit. We have informed the respected president of BJP Meghalaya to call a meeting to discuss this byelection,” he said.

Ruling out the possibility of supporting another party, including the National People’s Party (NPP), Hek asserted that the BJP would field its own candidate if it decides to contest.

“If we contest, we will have our own candidate. We will not be supporting any candidate of other political parties,” he said.

“We will go by whatever instruction the central leadership gives, but BJP Meghalaya will contest on its own,” he added.