NPP leader and deputy chief minister Sniawbhalang Dhar on Tuesday said the party will soon conduct a post-mortem on its poor performance in the Khasi Hills region.
Speaking to reporters, Dhar said the post mortem will be conducted after the budget session of the Assembly on March 28.
The NPP won only 8 seats in Khasi-Jaintia Hills regions.
He said, “Jaintia Hills is okay as we have 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 the Khasi Hills region.”
Dhar said, “It is difficult (to say whether it is anti-incumbency) as we are yet to know the actual reason why we lose many seats in Khasi Hills region. Therefore, we will conduct a postmortem as soon as the budget session is over in order to improve in the next election.”
Stating that there are many factors, he said, “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.”
When asked, Dhar said, “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 said if the people want the chief minister to be from Khasi-Jaintia region, let them vote for one party from the region.