NPP to decide seat for Conrad after budget session

Shillong, Mar 12: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the National People’s Party (NPP) will take a call from which seat he should contest after Assembly’s budget session.

“That (seat) will be decided at the party level. Once the party is held we will be in a better position to decide,” Conrad told journalists after the special session held in the city here on Monday.

Asked, he said most probably the NPP is likely to meet after the budget session, to decide on the matter.

“Because we are quite busy with the budget presentation and some tasks at hand that require immediate attention from our side and we would like to complete those tasks first and then proceed on the party’s aspect later on,” he said.

Conrad, who is the current Lok Sabha MP from Tura and is leading the six-party coalition Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, will have to get elected as member of the Assembly within six months to continue as chief minister.

Earlier when the vote of confidence was moved in the floor of the House, leader of the opposition Congress party and former chief minister Mukul Sangma had questioned whether the MDA is being headed by the NPP or the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).

Reacting to this, the chief minister said though the NPP is leading the government but all including the BJP are equal partners.

“It is not just BJP, we will ensure the UDP, HSPDP, PDF, NCP and independents they all feel equal partners in the process. They should all be part of the decision making. Every political party has a right to express their views, the decision will be taken jointly, decision will be taken after consultation and it will be taken in the best interest of the people of the state.”

According to him, all political parties are coming together with the purpose of serving the people, changing and developing the state.

“We are all committed to the people of our state. I think that challenge starts now and we hope that we will be able to work together and with this objective take our state forward,” he said.

With regards to the fear of saffronising the state, Conrad however said that these are political individuals who have their own political mindset and they are making those statements out of it.

“But as I said we have been clear from day one that this is a coalition where we have equal partners and all decisions will be taken after we have consult our partners,” he added.