Shillong, Oct 27: The National People’s Party (NPP) is yet to assess whether former party leader Wanweiroy Kharlukhi’s support for Congress candidate Vincent H Pala will have any bearing on the election, with government spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla saying the party would have to wait for the outcome.
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday’s cabinet briefing, Shylla said Kharlukhi’s reported move had surprised the party, given his long association with the NPP and its founder, the late Purno A Sangma.
According to Shylla, Kharlukhi had made it clear that his backing was for Pala as a candidate and should not be interpreted as support for the Congress as a party.
He said electoral preferences in Meghalaya often go beyond party affiliations, with voters sometimes choosing different candidates in parliamentary and Assembly elections.
Against this backdrop, Shylla said the NPP could not yet determine whether Kharlukhi’s support would translate into votes for Pala or affect the party’s prospects.
One of the ostensible reasons for Kharlukhi’s support was the Congress Party’s stand against the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) amendment, which had been proposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Although the NPP has also spoken out against the amendment, the BJP and NPP are close allies.
Shylla defended the NPP and the state government, saying they had repeatedly taken up their concerns with the Union government. He referred to a delegation led by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and said discussions with the Centre were ongoing. The state had also sought the inclusion of Meghalaya’s newly elected Rajya Sabha member in the relevant FCRA-related process or body, a request that Shylla said had been accepted.
