BJP gears up against ally NPP in poll-bound Meghalaya

The BJP is working out strategies against its ally National People's Party (NPP) in the Christian-majority Meghalaya for the Assembly elections slated early next year.

With two MLAs, BJP is a minor ally in the NPP-led government now but the relation between two parties strained after NPP leader and CM Conrad K Sangma announced that his party would not forge any pre-poll alliance. Meghalaya has 60 Assembly seats.

The president of BJP's Meghalaya unit, Ernest Mawrie said the party has already launched a pre-poll campaign to induct more and more people into BJP and has set a target to form booth level committees across the state by the end of this month.

"A door-to-door campaign will be conducted raising awareness and importance of voting the BJP into power. The elections will be focussed around several core issues related to the plight of the teachers, vacancies in government departments, discrepancies in the implementation of the central schemes and aid given to the state government," Mawrie said in a statement.

"Our karyakartas shall tirelessly spread the message that with BJP ruling at the Centre, the state can only develop best if the BJP is voted to power in Meghalaya too. This will help in the rapid development of the state. Central schemes and funds can be sought and utilised effectively for the state's benefits," he said.

The BJP on Tuesday started its pre-poll campaign with back-to-back meetings of 55 mandal committees. The main agenda of the meet was to form booth level committees to explore the possibilities of winning candidates in the upcoming elections, Mawrie said.

"Besides this, a mass awareness shall be raised against central welfare schemes, whose names have been changed by the state government for its own political mileage," he said.

Sources in Meghalaya said BJP is targeting the anti-NPP votes in order to increase its tally. Congress and Trinamool Congress are the two major opposition forces gearing up against both NPP and BJP. TMC has questioned both NPP and BJP saying that although they are planning to contest the elections separately, the two would join hands after the elections like 2018.