NPP to Emerge Stronger Across Northeast Despite Nagaland Loss, Says Sangma

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People's Party (NPP) president Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday said he was "definitely very upset" over the party's political setback in Nagaland, where its strength had fallen to zero, but maintained that such developments were part of politics and the NPP would recover and emerge stronger.

"We are definitely very upset with this, but as I said, this is something that does happen in politics. We've seen it happen before in Arunachal and in Nagaland also before," Sangma said.

Sangma said the party accepted the situation and urged NPP workers, leaders and supporters to remain united during the difficult period. He said the setback should reinforce their commitment to the party and its principles rather than weaken the organisation.

"We must stick together, and we must work together, and this situation must reinforce our commitment towards our party and towards our beliefs," Sangma said.

He said the NPP would recover from the setback and emerge stronger across the Northeast. "We will recover from this. We will take this forward and we will come out stronger, not just in the state of Nagaland, but in the entire Northeast region," Sangma said.

On the NPP's position within the NDA, Sangma said political arrangements varied across the northeastern States. He said that while the NPP had been accommodated in the government in Meghalaya and secured one ministerial berth in the new Manipur government, it had extended support to the NDA government in Arunachal Pradesh without being part of the governance process.

"In all the four states where we are present or we were present, the NPP has extended its support to the NDA government," Sangma said, adding that the nature of political arrangements depended on the situation in each State.

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