<p>The National People's Party (NPP), which leads the coalition government in Meghalaya will stick to its "general stand" about contesting elections on its own, even in the next year's Assembly elections. </p>.<p>"We, as a party, have always contested elections on our own. We have never had any pre-poll alliance with any party in any state, not just party. So it is not that there is a special policy or a special stand about our state (Meghalaya) regarding BJP. This is a general stand and we will stick to this," NPP chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told reporters on Friday.</p>.<p>BJP is a minor ally in the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government since 2018. Conrad's announcement comes at a time when NPP's relationship with BJP soared following the recent arrest of Bernard N Marak, the vice-president of the saffron party's state unit for allegedly running a "brothel." </p>.<p>Sangma, however, said that there should not be any political reasons for Marak's arrest. "It is purely a police case and it was based on evidence found by police. There is nothing political," he said. BJP has two MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly. </p>.<p>Reacting to Conrad's announcement, TMC's Mukul Sangma said that the people of Meghalaya no longer trust the NPP. "Conrad Sangma is merely a puppet appointed by Delhi. Before the 2018 elections, the NPP said they would not be with the BJP. But we can see what happened after the elections. HSPDP, UDP, and KHNAM (other partners in the government) also claimed that they would not stand by the BJP government but they all changed their stance. This is merely a repetition of their trickery." </p>.<p><strong>NPP-TMC fight in 2023</strong></p>.<p>The Assembly elections next year may turn out to be a straight fight between NPP and Trinamool Congress led by former CM Mukul Sangma. TMC did not win a single seat in 2018 but the Mamta Banerjee-led party became the Opposition party in November, 2021 when 12 Congress MLAs led by Mukul joined it. </p>.<p>In 2018, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats but the NPP managed to cobble up an alliance as part of the BJP-backed North East Democratic Alliance. Congress' tally in the Assembly now stands at just five.</p>
<p>The National People's Party (NPP), which leads the coalition government in Meghalaya will stick to its "general stand" about contesting elections on its own, even in the next year's Assembly elections. </p>.<p>"We, as a party, have always contested elections on our own. We have never had any pre-poll alliance with any party in any state, not just party. So it is not that there is a special policy or a special stand about our state (Meghalaya) regarding BJP. This is a general stand and we will stick to this," NPP chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told reporters on Friday.</p>.<p>BJP is a minor ally in the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government since 2018. Conrad's announcement comes at a time when NPP's relationship with BJP soared following the recent arrest of Bernard N Marak, the vice-president of the saffron party's state unit for allegedly running a "brothel." </p>.<p>Sangma, however, said that there should not be any political reasons for Marak's arrest. "It is purely a police case and it was based on evidence found by police. There is nothing political," he said. BJP has two MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly. </p>.<p>Reacting to Conrad's announcement, TMC's Mukul Sangma said that the people of Meghalaya no longer trust the NPP. "Conrad Sangma is merely a puppet appointed by Delhi. Before the 2018 elections, the NPP said they would not be with the BJP. But we can see what happened after the elections. HSPDP, UDP, and KHNAM (other partners in the government) also claimed that they would not stand by the BJP government but they all changed their stance. This is merely a repetition of their trickery." </p>.<p><strong>NPP-TMC fight in 2023</strong></p>.<p>The Assembly elections next year may turn out to be a straight fight between NPP and Trinamool Congress led by former CM Mukul Sangma. TMC did not win a single seat in 2018 but the Mamta Banerjee-led party became the Opposition party in November, 2021 when 12 Congress MLAs led by Mukul joined it. </p>.<p>In 2018, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats but the NPP managed to cobble up an alliance as part of the BJP-backed North East Democratic Alliance. Congress' tally in the Assembly now stands at just five.</p>
