Shillong, Dec 11: The United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) will not have pre-poll alliance for the polls to the KHADC and the JHADC.
A meeting of the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) comprising both the parties decided this.
The meeting was chaired by UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh in presence of HSPDP chief KP Pangniang besides leaders of both the parties.
Briefing reporters, Metbah said, “We have decided today that as far as the upcoming ADC elections are concerned…we have decided that the UDP will fight on its own and HSPDP also will fight on its own.”
According to Merbah, the decision was based on past experience and the need to respect the sentiments of the party workers at the constituency level.
“As RDA, we (UDP and HSPDP) have pledged to continue working together,” he added
He said the RDA was formed not only for the purpose of fighting elections but also for the purpose of taking up very important and priority issues like the inner line permit (ILP), inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, boundary issue and others concerning the people and the state.
“Therefore, today’s decision doesn’t mean that the RDA is no longer there. I want to make it very loud and clear again and would like to reiterate this, that RDA is still intact, and will still continue to work together beyond this election also,” Lyngdoh added.
The UDP chief said that both the parties are free to put up any candidates from any constituency they wish to. “Both parties will continue to work together and the spirit of alliance under the banner of the RDA will still be alive,” he asserted.
