The United Democratic Party (UDP) has announced its second list of candidates for the upcoming Meghalaya Assembly elections. Two names were announced on Monday. They are former South Tura legislator John Leslee K Sangma and Pilne Sangma from North Tura. With this, 34 candidates have so far been declared by the party.
The list was approved by the state election committee (SEC) headed by party supremo Metbah Lyngdoh, who is also currently the Assembly Speaker on Monday.
Pilne, who had unsuccessfully contested the GHADC elections, is the lone woman candidate of the UDP.
After felicitating the two candidates, Lyngdoh informed that the party will soon release the third list of candidates and said, “(The list will also include) five sitting legislators of this present House and candidates from other constituencies.”
The UDP chief said that the people of the state are looking up to the UDP 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.
“And this time we are committed that we will try our level best to deliver those expectations of the people of the state when we are given the mandate in this upcoming election,” he added.
Lyngdoh said that his party is working very hard to reach out to every nook and corner of the state to create awareness among the electorate to ensure “they make no mistakes and be with the UDP in this upcoming election.”
He said that the UDP is trying to fill up candidates from all 60 seats. “We will take a call on the matter after doing the ground assessment on each and every candidate.”
Lyngdoh also expressed surprise at the decision of the National People’s Party (NPP) not to field a candidate against him from the Mairang constituency.
Maintaining that the UDP is fighting the 2023 polls on its own, Lyngdoh also expressed confidence that the party will cross the halfway mark and lead the new government in the state.
Meanwhile, the UDP chief has feigned ignorance on a complaint filed by the party's vice president against the ministers and MLAs of the NPP for alleged misusing of the FOCUS and FOCUS+ schemes of the government.
