Getting the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its candidates in the Shillong and Tura seats at next month’s Lok Sabha elections could end up costing, not gaining, the National People’s Party (NPP) votes, United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Paul Lyngdoh said today.
The BJP decided recently that it would not field candidates in either of the two Meghalaya seats and instead would support the NPP, which has also decided to back BJP members running in Arunachal Pradesh.
Lyngdoh today said that the BJP has never really done well in Meghalaya and is perceived to be an anti-Christian party. This perception will thus hurt the NPP, he opined, though “hardcore” BJP voters might toe the party line and support the NPP’s two candidates.
According to Lyngdoh, the matter needs to be properly analysed and more inputs are needed and there may be plus and minus points.