SHILLONG: In Meghalaya elections, personal connections overshadow party affiliations and ideologies, claims the National People’s Party (NPP) Lok Sabha candidate for the Shillong seat, Ampareen Lyngdoh.
Lyngdoh highlighted that voters in Meghalaya lean towards individuals rather than party ideologies when casting their ballots.
This, she told a local daily, will determine the victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Formerly a prominent Congress leader and the incumbent Health Minister of the state, Lyngdoh noted the diminishing influence of the Grand Old Party in Meghalaya.
With only five out of 60 MLAs currently belonging to Congress, down from 21 in 2018, the NPP candidate expressed confidence in securing victory from the LS Shillong seat.
She faces a tough challenge from former party colleague Vincent Pala.
“My party, NPP, nominated me due to my track record of winning legislative assembly elections five times. We aim to replace Congress in the state, ending their thirty-year monopoly,” she asserted.
Highlighting her belief in garnering support from the majority of women voters in the state, Lyngdoh pointed out her status as the sole female candidate among the six contesting in Shillong.
“With more women voters in the state than men, I believe I can make history by winning the MP election in Shillong,” she added confidently.
Expressing reservations about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) proposal outlined in their recently released manifesto, “Sankalp Patra”, Lyngdoh firmly rejected the notion of enforcing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Meghalaya.
“UCC should not be enforced in Meghalaya. Our state has its unique system, which should not be disrupted or imposed upon forcibly,” she asserted.
