New Meghalaya govt to focus on farming, tourism, infra, health: NPP chief Conrad Sangma

The new Meghalaya government will lay focus on sectors like farming, tourism, infrastructure, health and youth, outgoing Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Friday.

In an interview to PTI shortly after staking claim to form government led by the National People's Party (NPP), its supremo Sangma said he wants to “do things differently".

"There will be special focus on the youth, farming, tourism, the overall infrastructure and issues related with health. These will be our priority," he said.

The state government has also been focusing on ensuring that implementation of programmes and schemes are done in a proper manner, Sangma said.

"We have always stressed on that. So, it is not that we need to do new things or different things, but we need to do things differently. That's been our mantra," he said.

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Asked about the initial project the new government will start work on, the NPP leader said it will be decided in the first meeting of the state cabinet.

On when he will announce the list of political parties extending support to the NPP, Sangma said: “By today evening."

He also said that some of the earlier partners will be in the new government.

In the outgoing NPP-led government, the United Democratic Party (UDP), People's Democratic Front (PDF), Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), BJP, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Independents were a part of the alliance.

Meghalaya BJP president Ernest Mawrie told PTI that in addition to the saffron party, NPP has received support from the HSPDP, PDF and two Independents, and has 34 MLAs in total in the alliance.

The NPP emerged as the single-largest party in Meghalaya on Thursday, bagging 26 seats out of the 59 constituencies that went to polls on February 27.

The UDP was the second-largest party, winning 11 constituencies.

The Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress won five seats each, while the BJP secured two constituencies.