Shillong, Sep 15: The NPP has not assured the new entrant and former Mawsynram MLA HM Shangpliang ticket to contest the Shillong Lok Sabha seat.
Speaker to reporters on Friday, the NPP national president and chief minister Conrad Sangma said, “Of course, we welcome everybody and we have always told everybody that joining has to be not based on any conditions as such. I am not talking about the concerned individual (HM Shangpliang) I am talking about in general. In general, everybody joins for the purpose of serving the people and the state and working through a particular party so that is the objective and that is how we would see it and of course as I said if any individual whoever is in the party would like to apply for the ticket they can apply for the party ticket,” he said.
As far as Tura seat is concerned, the chief minister said though the sitting MP ( Agatha Sangma) has preference, anybody can apply for ticket.
“Of course we have a sitting MP out there and hence, obviously there is a certain consideration for the incumbent and sitting MP. Again as I said we have a full committee that processes the entire ticketing so therefore that process will also happen for Tura also,” he said.
When asked about his brother and former Dadenggre legislator James K Sangma, the chief minister said, “As I said all different individuals can apply and we will scrutinize. The process is the same for all so the process will be followed.”
No common candidate
The chief minister said though the desire is always there to put up a common candidate, politics has always been about the ideology and principle of each political party and each political party would want their particular candidate.
“There is nothing wrong in it, it is similar to what we do as a party when it comes to the MDA, we contest the elections, so therefore, there is nothing wrong in it. And as far as I know, workers of all political parties also be it UDP or HSPDP or any other political parties, all the workers of the political parties would also want to see their party also grow and hence they would want to contest the elections. I am sure that most of the political parties would want to contest and there is nothing wrong,” he said.
To a question whether the NPP will seek support from the MDA partners, Conrad said, “We will discuss with everybody and then decide. We have not really gone so much into the discussion.”
