VPP not likely to contest GHADC: Ardent Basaiawmoit

CORRESPONDENT

Shillong: The Voice of People Party (VPP) is unlikely to contest the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections next year, with party president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit stressing organisational priorities and admitting that language barriers make it difficult to find the right candidates in Garo Hills.

“From the party we have not yet decided to contest the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council elections scheduled for next year. As of now, we will first concentrate on the party organisation. Because by experience we have seen how the government is trying hard to ensure that the Voice of the People's Party can be stopped, so we have to go for slow moving as far as the elections of the GHADC are concerned,” Basaiawmoit said.

On Assembly prospects in Garo Hills, he remarked, “The candidates who propagate values, philosophy and the ideology of the party will not have it easy in Garo Hills as they did in Khasi Hills because of the language barrier. Here, whatever we say comes from our mouth straight to the person who listens to what we say, but there, we need an interpreter. So, we need the right people, people who can convey to the commoners the principles, goals, aims and objectives of the party. It has to be done in a simple manner, in a way the people could understand.”

He clarified that VPP is not limited to Khasi-Jaintia Hills but is constrained by resources. “We are a state regional party, so we don't have any intention to fight only in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region. But, as a new party, we have resource constraints, and we have some other problems also, so it is not easy for us to reach out to every nook and corner of the state. We hope gradually the party will be a well-established party in the entire state and have reached out to every nook and corner of the state.”

On whether Garo leaders are keen to join, he said, “We are trying to bring up new faces.”.

Also Read: HITO demands Conrad Sangma to relinquish CM chair for Khasi-Jaiñtia leader in second half of term

Also Watch: