As Sangma rejects, Kharshiing discuss alliance with Lapang

Shillong, August 30: Even as chief minister Mukul Sangma rejected the overture of the state NCP for forging a Congress-NCP pre-poll alliance in Meghalaya saying the Congress can come to power on its own, NCP north east observer and former Rajya Sabha MP Robert Kharshiing and Meghalaya unit NCP convener Sanbor Shullai met Meghalaya Pradesh

The meeting took place at Lapang’s residence and Kharshiing put forward the proposal for Congress-NCP pre-poll alliance. After the meeting, Kharshiing told www.ohmeghalaya.com that Lapang has promised to discuss the issue with his party colleagues in the state and the Congress high command.

Kharshiing said that he will soon meet Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and discuss the issue with him and then he will move to Delhi and take up the alliance proposal to Congress high command and his party’s leader.

But Thursday afternoon, chief minister Sangma had rejected the idea of a pre-poll alliance with the NCP saying the Congress can come to power on its own in the 2013 assembly election in Meghalaya. He said, “In the context of Meghalaya, I think the Congress is strong enough to go it alone like it has been doing in the past Congress.”

Sangma said that the perception the Congress and NCP alliance didn’t fruity in Meghalaya because of his and Purno A Sangma presence in the NCP will be proved wrong now as his party is not going to have an alliance with the NCP even without Purno A Sangma.

Despite the chief minister ruling out a pre-poll Congress-NCP alliance Kharshiing is nursing hope that his proposal will find takers with the Congress leadership in the state as well as Delhi.

Kharshiing felt that in that context the election in smaller states like Meghalaya and Nagaland will be of great importance to the Congress party from slipping away from power. He said I have followings spread over the Khasi, Jaintia and even Garo hills and in small constituency a small number of votes count.

He said with the Congress losing in  UP, Punjab assembly elections and the NDTV, India Today  forecast saying that the party will loss if election was to be held now any sensible leader(s) will not reject such a proposal that will help to in keeping them in power.

Therefore, Kharshiing felt pre-poll alliance helps the Congress why should it refuse. – By Our Reporter