Shillong, Oct 20: Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Friday urged voters not to be fooled by candidates, who deserted the ruling Congress to seek re-election from other political parties in the upcoming 2018 elections.

“The people of the state should not be fooled by the ruling Congress which has misled the state for many years and they should not also be fooled by its deserters who are joining other parties like the National People’s Party (NPP),” Basaiawmoit said while addressing a general meeting of the party to form the HSPDP Mawkyrwat Area held on Friday.

He said this is because that these deserters who are the same people who have strongly supported the chief minister Mukul Sangma in the Assembly are now telling that Mukul is a dictator.

“If Mukul is a dictator it only means that they (deserters) are also the same like him. These are the same people who are indulging in corruptions with the Congress-led government. Is it possible for them to change just because they are switching to another party? I don’t think so,” Basaiawmoit said.

It may be mentioned that sitting legislator of Mawkyrwat constituency, Rowell Lyngdoh, the veteran Congress MLA and former deputy chief minister is likely to join the NPP.

The HSPDP chief further urged the voters not to rush into or be induced by the People’s Democratic Front (PDF), a newly floated regional political party in the state.

“The voters should not look up to the PDF too much, because as of today, this party does not even know who will be leading them,” Basaiawmoit said.

While stating that new political parties formed just before election cannot be successful, he cited examples of the Alliance for Reconstruction of Meghalaya State (ARMS), Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) which could not fare well.

It may be mentioned that in 1988, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) during the time of late Bull N Lyngdoh had formed the ARMS after the agitation of 1987, but they got only one MLA.

Similarly, in 1998, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) also formed the PDM but it managed to secured only three seats.

Then in 2003, the KHNAM was formed under the leadership of former KSU president Paul Lyngdoh, but it won only two seats.

“This shows that the public are ready to accept newly formed political parties,” said Basaiawmoit, who is also the sitting legislator from Nongkrem constituency.

On the alliance forged between the HSPDP and the UDP, he said, the decision of the two parties was the fulfillment of the aspirations of the people of the state that regional parties should come to power in 2018.

He assured that the HSPDP-UDP alliance if voted to power in 2018, will ensure a corruption free government and work hard to fulfill the aspirations of the people of the state.