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Shillong, Mar 22: The National People's Party (NPP) candidates today filed their nomination to contest from Shillong constituency and said, "Let the voice of women be heard.”
The NPP has fielded Ampareen Lyngdoh from Shillong and Agatha Sangma, both women candidates, from the Tura parliamentary seat.
Lyngdoh, after filing her nominations at the Returning Officer's office here, said she has the backing of her family and husband, while adding that women's voices being heard is "something that is going to be very important" this time around.
If she wins the election, Lyngdoh said she will try to "bridge the gap" between the people of the state and the pending issues lying with the central government offices. "I would liaison and raise issues with the central government offices left pending in the state," she said.
On her chances of winning the elections, Lyngdoh said she has won five terms as an MLA and she has the experience of working as an opposition member and in the Treasury and is now in the cabinet. Lyngdoh, who holds the health portfolio in the present Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government, said she has "gained enough experience" over the years, which will give her an edge over her political opponents.
Further, Lyngdoh said she was with "few" other political parties (the United Democratic Party, Congress) and she understands clearly how these political parties function. "I know the pulse, mind, modus operandi and way they talk (other political parties)... So this is advantageous for me," Lyngdoh asserted.
Moreover, with the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Deputy Chief Ministers' backing together with the support of the Cabinet Ministers, NPP members and alliance partners, Lyngdoh feels she is in a "very comfortable position" to wrest the Shillong seat from the Congress, a party she was earlier a member of.
On the anti-incumbency factor against the NPP, she said the NPP doesn't have any anti-incumbency and this only applies to the incumbent Member of Parliament, Vincent Pala of the Congress. She added that the NPP is "way ahead in service" to the people of the state compared to the others.
However, she said that her goal is not to get into a political rivalry during the electioneering process, but she would rather focus on doing her "own thing" and reach out to the people not just with words but also with action.
On the NPP's election manifesto, Lyngdoh said the Chief Minister Elevate Scheme is the official manifesto of the party. Under the scheme, several sectors have been identified in the state that will be worked on during the next five years.
