Meghalaya Assembly polls: UDP announces second list of candidates

"UDP has not allied with any political party till now, we are fighting alone and we will win more than 30 seats," UDF chief Metbah Lyngdoh said

The United Democratic Party (UDP), the key regional ally of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, has announced John Leslee K Sangma as its candidate for the South Tura seat, the constituency of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, for the coming Meghalaya Assembly poll.

John Leslee K Sangma's name featured along with that of Pilne Sangma in the second list of candidates announced by UDP chief Metbah Lyngdoh on Monday. Pilne Sangma, who is relatively new to politics in the state, will contest from North Tura seat, he said.

John Sangma recently quit BJP as the party favoured its vice-president Bernard Marak as its candidate for the prestigious constituency. Marak is a member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council from Tura. The UDP will go it alone this time and is trying to field candidates from all the 60 seats in the state. "We will take a call on the matter after doing the ground assessment of each and every candidate," Lyngdoh, who is also the state speaker, said after announcing the second list.

“UDP has not allied with any political party till now, which means that we are fighting alone and we will win more than 30 seats,” he asserted. The party has so far announced the names of 34 candidates and will soon release the third list of candidates, which will include five sitting MLAs, he said.

The UDP chief claimed that the people of the state are looking up to the party as the biggest regional party in the state to address the issues and concerns and matters related to the welfare of the state and its people. It is working very hard to reach every nook and corner of the state to create awareness among the electorate to ensure that “they make no mistakes and be with the UDP in the upcoming election.”

"We are committed to trying our level best to deliver the peoples' expectations when we are given the mandate in the coming election,” Lyngdoh added. The date for the Meghalaya assembly poll is yet to be announced.

The UDP has been an ally of the NPP since the state election in 2018 and is the second largest constituent of the alliance government in Meghalaya headed by the National People’s Party (NPP), which earned the national party status in 2019.