MEGHALAYA :
Ex-MLA and UDP candidate Paul Lyngdoh, on February 7, contradicted party leader Bindo M Lanong’s prediction and said the United Democratic Party is heading towards a landslide win in this election.
“This time we are confident because going by the indications and surveys, we know that we are headed towards a landslide win,” Lyngdoh told media persons after filing his nomination for West Shillong today.
Asked about Lanong’s prediction that the UDP will not get more than 10 seats, Lyngdoh said though he respects Lanong’s calculation, he, however, do not agree with his prediction.
“I am not part of his calculations; I will respect his calculation without adding mine,” he said.
Exuding confidence in winning the West Shillong seat, Lyngdoh said, “I am well prepared as should Meghalaya because the state has been given a second chance, a second inning to re-emerge through the mandate of the people.”
“This is the first year post the Golden Jubilee of Meghalaya – Why should we always go to the past to predict our future? We should look at everything with a fresh outlook,” Lyngdoh said when asked whether Meghalaya will be able to break the streak of coalition governments.
To queries on freebies being distributed widely, the ex-MLA washed his hands clean on the matter and said, “Well had I been a distributor, I would not have lost the last election.”
Stating that he lost the 2018 general elections because of the influence of money power, Lyngdoh said, “My action speaks for itself and, people look up to me as a policy maker – someone who initiates debates in the house. Therefore, the thing about distributing stuff does not worry me at all.”
Spelling out his agenda, Lyngdoh said many major issues remain unattended to. According to him, priority needs to be accorded to youth empowerment, the creation of job avenues and arresting the problem of drug abuse and high dropout rates.
Reacting to the statement made by the president of the Voice of People’s Party (VPP), Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, that the regional parties in the state have no backbone, Lyngdoh said everybody is entitled to his or her opinion.
“In the last elections, the UDP was rejected massively by electorates as it managed to win only six seats; so the question of having no backbone does not arise because the electorates decided that we should have only 6 MLAs,” he said.
When asked about the party’s plans to go for a post-poll alliance, the UDP leader said, “The question of an alliance at this stage does not arise. If we talk about aligning with anyone, where is the point of putting up 40 candidates? We are trying to win all 40 seats and, if we can’t win all, we will at least get 31 plus seats.”
Speaking about the importance of having a single party in the helms of affairs, Lyngdoh said, “Having a government led by a single party would be ideal for the state because then, there would be no room for blame game as a single party would be responsible for the performance.”