Shillong, Apr 19: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has begun a push to stitch together a regional alliance in Meghalaya, with seat-sharing talks on the table two years before the 2028 Assembly polls.
NCP observer and North East coordinator Sanjay Prajapati told a few reporters yesterday that the party will soon initiate discussions with other regional stakeholders, including negotiations on seat-sharing arrangements, arguing that “an early start will be crucial to shaping a viable alliance.”
Yesterday the NCP made it clear that it is looking to make a comeback in Meghalaya, from which it had been effectively wiped out in 2018, based on its political legacy. The party’s youth wing also called on a share of seats in the three district councils to be reserved for younger candidates in order to give the youth more of a say in local affairs.
The NCP was one of the major political forces in the state, that is until the late Purno A Sangma, his family members and supporters left en masse after the party declined to support the elder statesman’s dream of becoming President of India in 2012. The party currently has no MLAs or MDCs in the state.
Prajapati said the target is to unseat the National People’s Party (NPP)-led government, which he accused of “nearly 10 years of corruption” and failure to deliver on infrastructure, healthcare and education.
The NPP is led by Purno’s son, Conrad K Sangma. Interestingly, Prajapati invoked the legacy of Purno to argue that broad alliances had succeeded in the past with the NCP part of them and these could be revived if the political will exists.
While acknowledging the NCP’s limited footprint in the state at present, he said consolidation of regional parties would significantly strengthen the opposition space and enable a credible, coordinated challenge to the ruling coalition.
Prajapati also cited protests led by the Green-Tech Foundation over Lumpondeng Island as evidence of a shift in public mood, saying the government now faces sustained scrutiny from an increasingly aware citizenry.
Asserting that the party is rebuilding its base across Meghalaya, NCP state president Omillo K Sangma said the party is in discussions with “friends” in the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills and expressed confidence that the party will have MLAs in the Assembly after the 2028 elections.
Omillo reminded that the NCP had as many as 13 MLAs in the past and was in the ruling alliance. “In 2028 also we aim to be part of the government,” he said.
Taking aim at the ruling party, Omillo claimed the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and its “apprehension” in the GHADC election had led to the government’s decision to postpone April’s election.
