NCP fails to make inroads into NE

NEW DELHI, August 12: Despite the ``Sangma factor'', the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has failed to make inroads into northeastern states which have among them 24 Lok Sabha seats. Political observers believe that former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma would win from Tura in Meghalaya again. However, they feel the NCP would not be able to win Shillong, the second Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya as the United Minority Front (UMF) is well entrenched there. ``Sangma would himself win again from Tura but his party has little chance of winning from Shillong,'' a senior leader close to Sangma said. Significantly, despite several rounds of talks, Sangma has failed in reaching an electoral understanding with Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats and Mahanta' party, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), plans to contest all of them, along with the CPI, the CPM and the People's Party of Assam led by A.M. Mazumdar. Another factor which could affect the NCP prospects in the region is the installation of Anowara Taimur, former Assam chief minister as working president of the Assam PCC. Her appointment is apparently aimed at winning the support of the minority community. Although Ms Taimur's appointment has annoyed PCC chief Tarun Gogoi (who is contesting the ensuing election from Kaliabor) and his supporters, it is learnt that she would hold her new post only till the elections are over (October 4). The Congress recently got a shot in the arm when Mehmud Madani, son of Ansad Madani, president of Jamait Ulema-e-Hind, left the Samajwadi Party and joined the Congress. The latter is already in the Congress.