Shillong, Feb. 23: The BJP?s gameplan in Meghalaya is simple. The party wants to appease all regional parties of the state and set up ?a consensus candidate? to take on the Congress.
BJP central leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Shourie have made it clear that they would support former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma in the Garo hills while hinting that the party would prefer a common candidate for the other seat.
The hunt for a consensus candidate has already begun and the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to keep the regional forces like the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Meghalaya Democratic Party (MDP) away from the Congress. State BJP president A.L. Hek and the party?s Northeast in-charge V. Satish have reportedly held several closed doors meetings with both the UDP and the MDP.
Though the parties are yet to respond to the BJP?s call for a consensus candidate, having decided only today to come under a common platform, it could be that the BJP would be asked to support and not choose the candidate.
The UDP and the MDP today had meetings with other smaller regional parties like the Hill State People?s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) to explore the possibility of putting up a consensus candidate supported by both the BJP and the NCP.
Before the meeting, UDP president Donkupar Roy did not rule out the possibility of taking the BJP?s support to fight the parliamentary elections against the Congress. ?We have meeting today and let us see how everyone responds,? Roy, said.
The meeting, which continued till late in the evening, was stuck on ?identifying a suitable candidate?. Several names like those of former chief minister and UDP adviser E.K. Mawlong and member of traditional institutions like John Kharshiing came up for consideration.
UDP party sources said those who attended the meeting, mostly senior functionaries of the UDP, MDP and other smaller parties, were keen on striking an understanding with Kharshiing, given his support base in the dorbars (local institutions).