UDP, Cong sing coalition tune

Shillong, Feb. 26: Pre-poll bluster of not having truck with each other over, Meghalaya’s two largest parties, Congress and the United Democratic Party (UDP), are now open to the idea of again forming a coalition government, given that all indications point to a fractured verdict with no one party coming close to even securing a simple majority in the 60-member Assembly.

While UDP, which had contested in 50 seats, is hoping to win 15 seats, the Congress  calculation is that it will fall short of the halfway mark, which would mean both the parties will have to look out for alliance partners, including Independents, to form the government. The Congress, of course, has fielded candidates in all the 60 seats.

Deputy chief minister and UDP party working president Bindo M. Lanong said even though his party will enjoy a numerical edge over the Congress in the next Assembly, it may still have to take the national party’s help in forming the government. “We will be getting about 15 seats. We cannot cent per cent rule out the possibility of forming the government along with Congress. Numerically Congress and UDP are in the race.  However, according to our information, we have an upper edge over Congress,” he said, while expressing confidence about his own victory.

Veteran Congressman and former chief minister Salseng Marak said even though the Congress was likely to emerge as the single largest party, it was unlikely to touch the halfway mark. “There is no doubt that our party will emerge as the single largest party, but I am not very sure if we will be able to cross the halfway mark and form the government on our own,” he said, adding that in such an eventuality, the Congress may have to take the help of Independent legislators to form the government.

Assembly speaker and Congress candidate from State Speaker and Nongthymmai constituency Charles Pyngrope, too, said indications were that the party would secure a little less than 30 seats, which is the halfway mark. “We should be able to get about twenty-seven seats and
form the government (with the help of Independents),” he said.

Marak was candid in admitting that the party’s prospect of forming the government will be hurt because of denial of tickets to many deserving candidates.  He, however, did not name who he thought were candidates who deserved the party tickets. “Many deserving candidates were denied tickets, which will hamper our prospect of forming the government single handedly,” he said.

On his own prospect, the veteran leader, who has contested all the nine Assembly elections, losing only in 2008, said the feedback he was getting was very positive and he should make to the Assembly for the seventh time.

Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly and Nationalist People’s Party (NPP) leader Conrad Sangma also said that his party will have to take help of “like-minded” parties to form the next government. “We are expecting to get the same number that we got last time. We are hoping to get about 12-13 seats in the Garo Hills and three in the Khasi Hills,” he said, while revealing that his party was already in talks with some parties in connection with government formation even though the elections results are due only on Thursday. (By Suraj Joshi)