SHILLONG, NOV 17: National People’s Party (NPP) working president and cabinet minister Marcuise N Marak said no decision has been taken on whether the party will go for a pre-poll alliance with likeminded political parties for contesting the upcoming elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
“So far we have not decided how to go about it. It would depend on the party. Whether we go solo or with coalition partners, that will be decided later on,” Marak told reporters on Monday.
He also noted that the tenure of the current council ends in April 2026, suggesting the election schedule will likely be announced by February 2026.
Marak expressed confidence that the NPP’s development track record under Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will resonate with voters, especially after the decline of the Congress wave post‑Bihar elections.
“I will not say it will be a cakewalk as every election has different taste. Definitely, Congress’ wave have gone down as the kind of wave they were trying to bring in has gone down after the Bihar elections. Therefore, it is to be seen what kind of a wave will be there in the district council. Obviously, we are hopeful of getting support from people of Garo Hills because the state government is performing under the leadership of Conrad K Sangma, which is majority party that is NPP,” he said.
He emphasized the need for reform and stability in GHADC, urging voters to support NPP for a vision‑driven transformation of the district council.
“We have resolved the issues pertaining to district council issue. Therefore, we are hopeful as the district council process of reformation has already started. Now in GHADC, we need reform and people of Garo Hills also need that reformation. So it is possible only if the mandate is given to NPP, so that it can assure to the people of Garo Hills that we will be able to provide stability and mission with a vision wise reformation for district council in Garo HIlls.”
Asked, Marak acknowledged an anti‑incumbency sentiment in the district council.
“I agree that there is anti-incumbency in the district council but government has also done so many things for the district council. As you are aware, the issues which were disturbing the functioning of the district council were resolved recently by the chief minister by announcing and also constituting committees and sub-committees and through them everything has been resolved and now the functioning of the district council has been resumed and payment of salaries have already started,” he said.
Marak further informed that the party is still in the process of selecting candidates for the upcoming GHADC elections, with campaigning yet to commence.
He said said that the party’s first notification had set November 14 as the deadline for sponsorship applications, but numerous requests prompted an extension to November 30.
Only after the revised deadline will the party begin compiling constituency‑wise applications.
A series of election‑committee meetings will follow, involving district and block committees as well as consultations with MLAs.
The finalized list will be forwarded to the state committee and then to the national committee for approval, with the aim of completing the entire process by the second week of December, he added.
By Our Reporter
