NCP infighting comes to fore in Bhandara
BHANDARA: Infighting in the local Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has come to a head, with a Bhandara Municipal Council member going on a fast unto death against the leader of the civic body, who also belongs to the NCP.Bhagwan Bawankar, who started the hunger strike on Thursday, is an ardent follower of Prafulla Patel, is pressing for permission to execute works under the Dalit Wasti Sudhar program. State education minister, who also belongs to the NCP, has refused to mediate between the two feuding party members.
Bawankar, municipal council member from ward 32, had proposed a nala under the Dalit Wasti Sudhar program, which was okayed by the council. The proposal ran into trouble with the Gosikhurd rehabilitation division, which said it will spend Rs 7.5 crore and complete the work on land acquired by the irrigation department. This annoyed Bawankar and he began his fast against it from May 7, 2009.
Bhagwan Bawankar claims there is a political game to sideline him, by working against the dalit community under political pressure. Bhandara municipal council president Mahendra Gadkari pointed out that it is undesirable to spend Rs 7.5 crore on a single work to satisfy the interest of a single individual, when another department was getting the work done.
NCP promises jobs for jobless, homes for slumswellers
Mumbai, April 3: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), in its manifesto released here Friday, has promised to protect the interests of millions of people rendered jobless in the global economic crisis and provide housing to all the poor in the next five years. In its poll manifesto, released by party chief Sharad Pawar, the NCP has said the global economic crisis has led to retrenchment of millions working in various sectors of the economy worldwide.
Though the magnitude of the impact is contained, it is having an effect on the Indian economy with tens of thousands of Indians have laid off in foreign countries returning home. Calling for a ‘human face’ to economic reforms, the NCP - part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government - said it will help the skilled but jobless workers by providing them with liberal loans at concessional rates to set up personal, small and medium scale enterprises.
Calling for appropriate schemes to tackle the 35 percent population which lives below the poverty line (BPL), the NCP said it will ensure that concerted efforts are initiated to tackle the issue.
It would continue massive resources allocation for beneficiary oriented asset creation and income generating programmes and other poverty alleviation programmes for the purpose.
Towards this end, the NCP has promised to ensure housing for all poor slumdwellers in urban areas within the next five years.
Dwelling on the crucial agriculture sector on which 65 percent of the people depend for a livelihood, the NCP said it will bring more land under cultivation, increase budgetary allocation for this sector, provide ways and means to boost agro-production, special facilities for developing and strengthening dairy products and fishing industries.
The party will ensure that the Indian industry is geared to meet the growing world market competition, organise technological and managerial training to domestic industries to enable them modernise and diversify, and arrange for financial and marketing assistance for export-oriented industries.
Besides, the NCP will provide various sops and reservations in academic and job sectors to students, women, youth and people under different disadvantaged sections of society, the social and economically backward classes and the unemployed youth, reservations in jobs and education to Marathas and Muslims.
The NCP has urged the development of thorium, which is available in abundance in India, for harnessing nuclear power in place of uranium to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign countries and make it self-sufficient in the power sector, and harnessing alternative sources of power, like wind energy.
NCP-Congress seat sharing woes continue in Goa
Panaji, April 2 -- The tug-of-war between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ruling combine for the North Goa seat in the state shows no signs of abating.The two parties had warmed up to a unique formula to handle the ticklish North Goa seat sharing issue, after tough posturing for weeks on end.
The respective central commands of both the parties had decided to offer the ticket to Jitendra Deshprabhu, a two-time Congress legislator, directing him to quit the party and join the NCP before filing his nominations, a fact which has not gone down well with the state NCP unit.
"The NCP also has leaders who could be fielded. Our party president himself performed creditably when he fought the North Goa seat in 2004. The Congress is imposing its leadership on us," an NCP leader told IANS Thursday.
The NCP's displeasure could also be gauged by the fact that the party's state chief Wilfred D'Souza skipped a crucial Wednesday joint party meet citing "ill-health".
The Congress, however, has welcomed the move, which would allow Deshprabhu to switch parties with the official blessings from the party bosses.
Speaking to IANS, state Congress president Subhash Shirodkar said that if the NCP or any other party wanted, the Congress was in a position of offer 10 more candidates for elections in the future.
"We are a national party with a long standing record. We are known for creating able leadership," Shirodkar said.
Shirodkar also said that the party had no qualms about Deshprabhu leaving its ranks. "His (Deshprabhu) leaving the party will not affect the party at all. We are happy for him," he said.
Deshprabhu told IANS that he would be resigning from the Congress Thursday and would join the NCP and file his nomination April 4. But there is still no confirmation from the NCP state leadership.
"We will be clarifying our position on the seat sharing issue soon," a party spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, with the last date for filing nominations just two days away, a joint meeting called by both parties late Wednesday virtually stopped short of a fist fight.
NCP leader and minister for tourism Francisco Pacheco and Joaquim Alemao, a Congress minister abused each other in front of other legislators and party leaders forcing Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Shirodkar to intervene.
The meeting ended with the NCP members storming out of the meeting demanding a public apology from Alemao.
‘NCP will be with Third Front if UPA doesn’t win’
New Delhi, March 31: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key ally of the Congress, said Tuesday that it would approach the Third Front if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) did not get a majority in the Lok Sabha elections.
NCP general secretary D.P. Tripathi told reporters that the party would go to the Third Front because the Congress had “unfortunately disbanded” the UPA by not having a national alliance and stitching up regional tie-ups instead.
Tripathi, who announced the party’s 38 candidates from different states, said: “The Congress gave such illogical arguments that we can form the government at the national level but we will have alliances at the state-level.”
The NCP’s candidates declared Tuesday include its chief Sharad Pawar from Madha and his daughter Supriya Sule from Baramati in Maharashtra and party general secretary Tariq Anwar from Katihar in Bihar.
Tripathi said: “Nowhere in the world you will find such a situation. The UPA is intact as government, but in a dismantled state outside the government.”
He cited the instances of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which are part of the UPA government but are not the Congress allies in the elections.
But the NCP leader also said his party was in talks with the Congress over sharing two seats in Goa and a tie-up in Gujarat.
Asked about the dichotomy of his NCP having an alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra but not in many other states, he said: “Our suggestion for a national alliance was not adopted by the Congress and so we were forced to adopt our (own) electoral policies for different states.”
Accordingly, he cited the NCP’s seat-sharing agreements with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa, regional parties in Meghalaya and the Left parties in Assam.
Tripathi announced contestants for 18 seats in Maharashtra, four from Kerala, three from Assam, two each in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as well as one each from Bihar, Daman-Diu, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya and Orissa.
NCP general secretary D.P. Tripathi told reporters that the party would go to the Third Front because the Congress had “unfortunately disbanded” the UPA by not having a national alliance and stitching up regional tie-ups instead.
Tripathi, who announced the party’s 38 candidates from different states, said: “The Congress gave such illogical arguments that we can form the government at the national level but we will have alliances at the state-level.”
The NCP’s candidates declared Tuesday include its chief Sharad Pawar from Madha and his daughter Supriya Sule from Baramati in Maharashtra and party general secretary Tariq Anwar from Katihar in Bihar.
Tripathi said: “Nowhere in the world you will find such a situation. The UPA is intact as government, but in a dismantled state outside the government.”
He cited the instances of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which are part of the UPA government but are not the Congress allies in the elections.
But the NCP leader also said his party was in talks with the Congress over sharing two seats in Goa and a tie-up in Gujarat.
Asked about the dichotomy of his NCP having an alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra but not in many other states, he said: “Our suggestion for a national alliance was not adopted by the Congress and so we were forced to adopt our (own) electoral policies for different states.”
Accordingly, he cited the NCP’s seat-sharing agreements with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa, regional parties in Meghalaya and the Left parties in Assam.
Tripathi announced contestants for 18 seats in Maharashtra, four from Kerala, three from Assam, two each in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as well as one each from Bihar, Daman-Diu, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya and Orissa.
BJD, NCP talks on seat sharing fail
Bhubaneswar, March 25 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Wednesday said it will field candidates from one Lok Sabha and 10 assembly constituencies in Orissa after seat-sharing talks with the state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) apparently failed.
NCP state president Prasanta Nanda, however, said their list of candidates has the BJD’s consent, even as party denied the claim.
The NCP has unilaterally declared its list, said BJD secretary general Damodar Rout.
The BJD had earlier decided to fight the elections with the Left parties, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the NCP after it won a trust vote in the assembly earlier this month. Legislators of these party voted for Chief Minister Navin Patnaik during the trust vote after ally Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew from the government.
Orissa will go to polls in two phases April 16 and 23 to elect 147 members to the state assembly and 21 MPs to Lok Sabha. During the first phase elections, polling will be held in 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly constituencies.
NCP state president Prasanta Nanda, however, said their list of candidates has the BJD’s consent, even as party denied the claim.
The NCP has unilaterally declared its list, said BJD secretary general Damodar Rout.
The BJD had earlier decided to fight the elections with the Left parties, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the NCP after it won a trust vote in the assembly earlier this month. Legislators of these party voted for Chief Minister Navin Patnaik during the trust vote after ally Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew from the government.
Orissa will go to polls in two phases April 16 and 23 to elect 147 members to the state assembly and 21 MPs to Lok Sabha. During the first phase elections, polling will be held in 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly constituencies.
NCP backs Manmohan Singh as prime minister
New Delhi, March 25 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key member of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Wednesday declared its support for Manmohan Singh as the grouping’s prime ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha polls.
“We have already supported his candidature. UPA’s candidate (prime minister) is Manmohan Singh,” party general secretary D.P. Tripathi told IANS.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said here Tuesday there could be many contenders for the post of prime minister, but nobody measured up to Manmohan Singh.
Congress and NCP have already announced a 26-22 seat-sharing agreement for Maharashtra.
Asked about the prime ministerial ambitions of NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Tripathi said: “No question about it.”
Pawar had said March 13 that Maharashtra should be given a chance to occupy the prime minister’s chair, like leaders from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Tripathi’s view is contrary to his colleague and senior leader in the party P.A. Sangma, who on Monday supported Pawar for the post of prime minister.
Sangma had told reporters in Shillong that Pawar was the most development-oriented leader and there was nothing wrong if he aspired to be prime minister.
Tripathi said the UPA should contest polls together.
“We have already supported his candidature. UPA’s candidate (prime minister) is Manmohan Singh,” party general secretary D.P. Tripathi told IANS.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said here Tuesday there could be many contenders for the post of prime minister, but nobody measured up to Manmohan Singh.
Congress and NCP have already announced a 26-22 seat-sharing agreement for Maharashtra.
Asked about the prime ministerial ambitions of NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Tripathi said: “No question about it.”
Pawar had said March 13 that Maharashtra should be given a chance to occupy the prime minister’s chair, like leaders from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Tripathi’s view is contrary to his colleague and senior leader in the party P.A. Sangma, who on Monday supported Pawar for the post of prime minister.
Sangma had told reporters in Shillong that Pawar was the most development-oriented leader and there was nothing wrong if he aspired to be prime minister.
Tripathi said the UPA should contest polls together.
No rift between the co-founders of the NCP
Shillong, Mar 25 : There is no rift between the co-founders of the Nationalist Congress Party(NCP)–Sharad Pawar and Purno A Sangma–on their contrary stand on the Congress-led UPA vis-à-vis the BJP-led NDA.
Mr Sangma, who is on an anti-Congress mood ever since the imposition of President’s Rule in Meghalaya, triggered a major controversy saying that he would campaign for the BJP and other non-Congress candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
”I am not supporting the BJP, but its candidates–Kiren Rijiju and SS Ahluwalia. I will campaign for them in recognition of their exemplary work,” Mr Sangma told UNI here.
Mr Rijiju is seeking re-election from Arunachal West parliamentary seat, while Mr Ahluwalia, a long time friend of Mr Sangma, is contesting from Darjeeling constituency on a BJP ticket and supported by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha led by Bimal Gurung.
In fact, the NCP working committee, he said, had decided not to have any alliance with any political party at the national level, but the NCP was free to choose its allies in their respective states, excluding the BJP.
”Look, we have entered into an alliance with the Congress only in Maharashtra, but in Goa where we are supporting the Congress government, we have decided to fight them,” Mr Sangma said.
In the same way, he said, the NCP will be fighting against the Congress in Gujarat, Bihar, Lakshadweep and Chattisgarh in the election.
”Therefore, my support to the two BJP candidates is not based on any political affiliation of a person, but at my personal level,” the veteran NCP leader said.
He further pointed out that even if Rijiju was a Congress nominee, ”I would take one step forward rather than two steps backwards in helping this young upcoming potential leader in the region.” In the meantime, Mr Sangma is working to revive the North East People’s Forum set up in 2003, ahead of the last parliamentary elections.
The objective of the NEPF is to mobilise all non-Congress parties to come under one banner to oust the Congress in the North Eastern states and to address burgeoning problems of the region, including insurgency and illegal immigration.
However, the NEPF did not work because of the political confusion in the party functionaries of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the BJP. But this time, the NEPF is all set to roll with both the major parties–AGP and BJP–because of the electoral alliance between the two.
Eight Northeastern states send all together 25 MPs to the Lok Sabha, 14 of whom come from Assam alone. The remaining 11 seats are allotted to other seven tiny states with Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura with two seats each and Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim with one seat each.
The NCP is contesting only in four Parliamentary seats–Karbi Anglong-NC hills, Dibrugarh, Guwahati (all in Assam) and Tura in Meghalaya. It has decided to support non-Congress candidates in all the Northeastern states besides, North Bengal.
Mr Sangma, who is on an anti-Congress mood ever since the imposition of President’s Rule in Meghalaya, triggered a major controversy saying that he would campaign for the BJP and other non-Congress candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
”I am not supporting the BJP, but its candidates–Kiren Rijiju and SS Ahluwalia. I will campaign for them in recognition of their exemplary work,” Mr Sangma told UNI here.
Mr Rijiju is seeking re-election from Arunachal West parliamentary seat, while Mr Ahluwalia, a long time friend of Mr Sangma, is contesting from Darjeeling constituency on a BJP ticket and supported by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha led by Bimal Gurung.
In fact, the NCP working committee, he said, had decided not to have any alliance with any political party at the national level, but the NCP was free to choose its allies in their respective states, excluding the BJP.
”Look, we have entered into an alliance with the Congress only in Maharashtra, but in Goa where we are supporting the Congress government, we have decided to fight them,” Mr Sangma said.
In the same way, he said, the NCP will be fighting against the Congress in Gujarat, Bihar, Lakshadweep and Chattisgarh in the election.
”Therefore, my support to the two BJP candidates is not based on any political affiliation of a person, but at my personal level,” the veteran NCP leader said.
He further pointed out that even if Rijiju was a Congress nominee, ”I would take one step forward rather than two steps backwards in helping this young upcoming potential leader in the region.” In the meantime, Mr Sangma is working to revive the North East People’s Forum set up in 2003, ahead of the last parliamentary elections.
The objective of the NEPF is to mobilise all non-Congress parties to come under one banner to oust the Congress in the North Eastern states and to address burgeoning problems of the region, including insurgency and illegal immigration.
However, the NEPF did not work because of the political confusion in the party functionaries of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the BJP. But this time, the NEPF is all set to roll with both the major parties–AGP and BJP–because of the electoral alliance between the two.
Eight Northeastern states send all together 25 MPs to the Lok Sabha, 14 of whom come from Assam alone. The remaining 11 seats are allotted to other seven tiny states with Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura with two seats each and Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim with one seat each.
The NCP is contesting only in four Parliamentary seats–Karbi Anglong-NC hills, Dibrugarh, Guwahati (all in Assam) and Tura in Meghalaya. It has decided to support non-Congress candidates in all the Northeastern states besides, North Bengal.
Nationalist Congress Party leader P.A. Sangma shakes hands with BJP leader L.K. Advani
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Description:Nationalist Congress Party leader P.A. Sangma shakes hands with BJP leader L.K. Advani in New Delhi on 20 March 2009. PTI
Maharashtrian should get a chance to become PM: Pawar
New Delhi, Mar 14 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said a Maharashtrian should also be given an opportunity to occupy the Prime Minister’s chair.
“There is a feeling among Maharashtrian people that a number of states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka have got a chance to occupy the Prime Minister’s office. So Maharashtra should get an opportunity as well,” Pawar told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
He, however, said one should not think of becoming the Prime Minister when he or she is contesting from limited number of seats.
“If my party is contesting hardly 30-35 seats in the entire country, how can anybody expect that I can take the responsibility to lead the nation with such a small number,” he said.
Moreover, reacting on the possiblity of the newly formed Third Front succeeding to form the new government after the Lok Sabha elections, Pawar said: ” I don’t think as of today the Third Front will be able to provide a viable alternative. But a situation might emerge that anybody who wants to form a government will have to take the support and cooperation of Third Front”
“There is a feeling among Maharashtrian people that a number of states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka have got a chance to occupy the Prime Minister’s office. So Maharashtra should get an opportunity as well,” Pawar told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
He, however, said one should not think of becoming the Prime Minister when he or she is contesting from limited number of seats.
“If my party is contesting hardly 30-35 seats in the entire country, how can anybody expect that I can take the responsibility to lead the nation with such a small number,” he said.
Moreover, reacting on the possiblity of the newly formed Third Front succeeding to form the new government after the Lok Sabha elections, Pawar said: ” I don’t think as of today the Third Front will be able to provide a viable alternative. But a situation might emerge that anybody who wants to form a government will have to take the support and cooperation of Third Front”
Pawar grumbles over Congress’s “patchwork” alliances
PUNE/CHENNAI, Mar 14 - Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has charged the Congress with entering into “patchwork” alliances.
“One front, with common programme, with one leader and we suggested the name of Dr. Manmohan Singh. Unfortunately, Congress party has taken a decision that they will make an alignment state-wise and not country as a whole. It should have taken a national level alternative which it has failed to do,” Pawar said in Pune.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) have held their first round of seat sharing talks in Chennai.
“We have strong faith that we will win the elections and will form the UPA coalition government again in the Centre,” said M K Stalin, state minister and DMK treasurer, who is expected to take over the mantle from his father, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi.
Earlier, the Left and major regional parties joined hands to take on the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming general elections by launching the ‘Third Force’.
On March 2, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief Deve Gowda had announced the formation of a Third Front, an alliance of eight parties, including the Left.
The parties, supporting Deve Gowda are: Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), Forward Bloc, Republican Party of India (RPI), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Janata Dal Secular (JDS).
“One front, with common programme, with one leader and we suggested the name of Dr. Manmohan Singh. Unfortunately, Congress party has taken a decision that they will make an alignment state-wise and not country as a whole. It should have taken a national level alternative which it has failed to do,” Pawar said in Pune.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) have held their first round of seat sharing talks in Chennai.
“We have strong faith that we will win the elections and will form the UPA coalition government again in the Centre,” said M K Stalin, state minister and DMK treasurer, who is expected to take over the mantle from his father, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi.
Earlier, the Left and major regional parties joined hands to take on the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming general elections by launching the ‘Third Force’.
On March 2, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief Deve Gowda had announced the formation of a Third Front, an alliance of eight parties, including the Left.
The parties, supporting Deve Gowda are: Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), Forward Bloc, Republican Party of India (RPI), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Janata Dal Secular (JDS).
Sharad Pawar to contest from Madha
Pune, Mar 7 : Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday announced that he would contest from newly created Madha constituency in forthcoming general elections.
Pawar represented the Baramati constituency in 14th Lok Sabha. His daughter Supriya Sule is expected to contest from there now.
Sule is currently a Rajya Sabha member.
Madha has Assembly constituencies from both Solapur and Satara district and has five sitting NCP MLAs.
Addressing to reporters here, Pawar said he took the decision to honour the wishes of his party workers.
The Minister refused the question about Shiv Sena supporting him for the prime ministerial post.
He, however, said that Sena had always supported Marathi people for top post.
Pawar represented the Baramati constituency in 14th Lok Sabha. His daughter Supriya Sule is expected to contest from there now.
Sule is currently a Rajya Sabha member.
Madha has Assembly constituencies from both Solapur and Satara district and has five sitting NCP MLAs.
Addressing to reporters here, Pawar said he took the decision to honour the wishes of his party workers.
The Minister refused the question about Shiv Sena supporting him for the prime ministerial post.
He, however, said that Sena had always supported Marathi people for top post.
No NCP-Congress alliance in North-East: Sangma
"In Assam, NCP will go with Left parties and AUDF. We will put up three candidates in Guwahati, Diphu and Mangaldai in Assam," Sangma told reporters here.
According to the leader, NCP would have an alliance with Manipur Peoples Party (MPP) in Manipur while in Meghalaya it will have coalition with regional parties and BJP.
Sangma said his party would field a candidate at Tura in Meghalaya, while in Shillong, the other LS seat in the state, it would support the nominee of the regional parties.
The NCP was also likely to put up a candidate in Itanagar East seat, he said.
In Nagaland, NCP would support the consensus candidate put up by Democratic Alliance of Nagaland. The party would not field candidates in Mizoram and Tripura.
His statement have come at a time when Congress was negotiating on seat-sharing to ensure that old allies like NCP remained with the UPA.
HILLY TERRAIN
he Nationalist Congress Party can claim to be doing well in Meghalaya at all levels. While sharing the assembly with the United Democratic Party as part of the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance government, it has recently been able to defeat the Congress convincingly in the elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council. The district councils in Meghalaya had been evolved to protect the traditions, cultures and rights of the people, but have rapidly become new sites of political battles and testing grounds for regional parties.
The NCP has won 19 of the total 29 seats of the GHADC, an absolute majority against the Congress’s five. Given that non-tribal candidates are not welcome in these elections, the NCP may be justified in seeing its triumph in terms of having established “a stronghold” in the Garo Hills. It has added that this will lead to a victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Leaving long projections aside, talking about strongholds is also to risk certain paradoxes. While the NCP will form the executive committee in the GHADC, and the MPA partners will form the one for the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, the Congress will be forming the executive committee for the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council.
The NCP has won 19 of the total 29 seats of the GHADC, an absolute majority against the Congress’s five. Given that non-tribal candidates are not welcome in these elections, the NCP may be justified in seeing its triumph in terms of having established “a stronghold” in the Garo Hills. It has added that this will lead to a victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Leaving long projections aside, talking about strongholds is also to risk certain paradoxes. While the NCP will form the executive committee in the GHADC, and the MPA partners will form the one for the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, the Congress will be forming the executive committee for the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council.
The NCP’s delight is understandable, since in the assembly elections, the Congress was the single largest party. That it did not get to govern had more to do with its sins in past governments, and its consequent failure to get partners, than its waning presence. If that failure was especially striking because the United Progressive Alliance was at the Centre, then the NCP’s and the MPA’s victories in the district councils are proportionately less remarkable because they run the state. If the district council elections are to be taken as pointers to bigger things, as many do, then the message seems to be that the tussle is fairly evenly balanced. The regional parties in the MPA are likely to shine brighter close to the base. Then the MPA itself, inevitably, houses a few contradictions. One such is the inclusion in it of both the NCP and the Bharatiya Janata Party, whereas the NCP supports the UPA at the Centre. But whatever the MPA’s problems, it is clear that the Congress will have to do much in Meghalaya to get back its old place. The district council elections have at least made that clear.
