‘UDP-HSPDP pre-poll alliance in sync with people’s voice’

Staff Correspondent

SHILLONG, May 29: A day after UDP member HS Shylla criticized his own party president Dr Donkupar Roy of having surreptitiously planned the UDP-HSPDP pre-poll alliance long ago which is not in line with the party interest, the UDP leadership prefers to downplay his arguments.

Notwithstanding the belligerence satire on the president of the party, general secretary of the UDP Jemino Mawthoh told The Sentinel from Kohima on Monday that in a big party like theirs, there may be diverse opinions but those opinions should not overwhelmed the common objective of achieving the goal.

Jemino Mawthoh said, “The alliance with the HSPDP is in league with the voice of the people and it is not a question of leaders succumbing to each other,” adding, “The spirit of the alliance is to forge a common political front to dethrone the Congress.” Last week, the two prominent regiol parties of the state-UDP and HSPDP entered into a pre-poll alliance in the 36 constituencies in Khasi- jaintia hill districts.

The UDP President Dr Donkupar Roy could not be contacted for his reaction after the blistering criticism by Shylla who was earlier a proponent of having a grand alliance of the regiol parties in the state for the 2018 elections. While the formalities of trying to identifying the probable winning candidates through a joint committee has kick started, talks within a certain circle of the two are abuzz with questions on whether the pre poll alliance will actually materialized.

The regiol parties in the state have been strange bed fellows right from 1978, a reason that the Congress has always made a comeback after their coalition government faltered.