SHILLONG:
National People’s Party (NPP) leader and deputy chief minister Sniawbhalang Dhar on March 14 said the party will conduct a post-mortem on its poor performance in the Khasi Hills region in the just-concluded Assembly polls.
Despite being the largest party, it managed only eight seats from the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region. Of these, two are from the East Khasi Hills district.
“The results in Jaintia Hills are okay, as we had already predicted to get between 4–6 seats. Similarly, in Ri Bhoi, we also predicted 1–3, seats but it was a little bit unexpected in Khasi Hills region,” he said.
When asked if the anti-incumbency against NPP was high in the Khasi Hills region, Dhar was hesitant: “It is difficult [to say], as we are yet to know the actual reason.” The party now plans to dissect its flop performance after the budget session.
However, Dhar remained confident that NPP had not lost all its supporters in Khasi Hills. “There are many factors. You know in Khasi Hills, there are so many parties – UDP, PDF, BJP, NPP, VPP. But it does not mean that it [NPP] is not accepted. To get 26 seats in the whole state it is not a joke.”
On the continued talk over the need for a chief minister of Khasi–Jaintia ethnicity, Dhar was more forceful, saying, “Demanding for a Khasi chief minister I think is totally wrong, as we have to respect the mandate of the people. It is as simple as that.”
He added, “Let them vote for one party from the Khasi side – simple as that. They can vote for UDP, for NPP if they want, but they vote differently. What can we say?”
However, Dhar was quick to admit the threat posed by Voice of the People Party, saying its vote-share in Nongkrem and Mawlai was decimated by the young party.
Yet, he maintains that All India Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have a long way to go to gain acceptance in Meghalaya.
“If the party can obtain 2–3 seats, it means that they are not accepted by the people of the state,” he said.