Conrad Sangma said NDA partners are supporting each other in the Northeast.
Guwahati:
The National People’s Party, led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, has announced that it would support the Lok Sabha candidate of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland and the candidate of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) in Manipur.
NPP national chief Sangma after a meeting with Nagaland Chief Minister and senior NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio said his party would support NDPP candidate Chumben Murry for the sole seat in Nagaland.
Murry is the consensus candidate of the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA), which heads Nagaland’s multi-party coalition government.
The NPP would also back NPF candidate Kachui Timothy Zimik in the Outer Manipur seat, Mr Sangma told the media. His party, he added, would support the BJP nominees in two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh – Union Minister Kiren Rijiju (Arunachal West) and Tapir Gao (Arunachal East).
The NPF fielded Mr. Zimik, replacing incumbent MP Lorho S. Pfoze.
The NPP, NPF and NDPP are the allies of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Mr Sangma said the NDA partners are supporting each other’s candidates in several northeastern states.
The BJP had earlier announced support to the NPP candidates in the two parliamentary seats in Meghalaya, the NPF nominee in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat and the NDPP candidate in Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha seat.
However, it is yet to announce its candidate for the Inner Manipur seat.
The NPP, which dominates the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government led by Mr Sangma, has fielded Minister of State Ampareen Lyngdoh from Shillong Lok Sabha constituency and reappointed Agatha K. Sangma from Tura.
Agatha K. Sangma, sister of Conrad Sangma, was the youngest Union minister during the second UPA government.