UDP leader and former legislator from West Shillong Paul Lyngdoh on Tuesday expressed confidence that the party will cross the halfway mark to lead the new government in the state.
After filing his nomination, Lyngdoh said that the question of an alliance at this stage does not at all arise.
“If we are to admit or we are to calculate in terms of an alliance today then what is the point of putting up 40 candidates. Are you saying we put up 40 candidates and we say we are not working hard to win 32 plus among the 40. Therefore, the question of an alliance at this stage does not at all arise because we are trying to win all the 40 seats if not 40 at least 31 plus,” he said.
He also appealed to the electorate to elect the UDP and give it massive mandate so that the question of having alliances will not arise.
Lyngdoh said, “Meghalaya should be prepared for its second journey. We have completed the golden jubilee of our state and today it is a second chance for Meghalaya to re-emerge and reinvigorate itself through the mandate of the people.”
Highlighting the issues he will be taking up if re-elected again, the former legislator said, “The major issues that remain unattended to which I had tried to pay full attention during my tenure of 15 years is the empowering of the youth, creation of job avenues for them. We also have a major problem of high level of drug addiction and dropout – these are few issues that top the agenda in my list of priorities.”
Lyngdoh said, “If I was a distributor I would not have lost in the last election. Had I use money power I would have sure been in the Assembly till this term but the fact that I lost because of the influence of money power should speak for itself and more importantly people look up to me as a policy maker as someone who initiate and take part in debates in the house – so this tag of distributing stuff really should and does not worry me at all.”
Lyngdoh said that the electorate of West Shillong are the best judge on the performance of the sitting legislator Mohendro Rapsang. He said, “I do not believe in harping on his weaknesses to lose my own strength, my strength is inherent to me and I need not use any of his weaknesses as a plus point or an additional point to my share of the votes.”
On the performance of MDA government, Lyngdoh said, “I have gone and aired my views on the media several times so you know where I stand but all I can say you know having a government led by a single party would be ideal for the state then there will be no room for blame game because then that single party which has been re-elected that will be responsible for all the performance, it will take credit for the performance and take the blame for non-performance.”
With regards to the UDP’s stand on implementation of the inner line permit (ILP), Lyngdoh said, “You know my view I have spoken on ILP at length on the floor of the Assembly. You know the view of the party we endorse the ILP resolution.
In fact the matter of the ILP does not remain in Meghalaya anymore. It has crossed the boundary of Meghalaya. It has gone to the parliament. It has gone to the Centre. So at this stage we will only be able to follow up based on the resolution adopted by the Assembly.”