Conrad Sangma’s Party to Back NDA Candidates in Nagaland and Manipur

NPP national chief Sangma, after meeting Nagaland Chief Minister and senior NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio, stated that his party would back NDPP candidate Chumben Murry for the lone Nagaland seat.

Murry is the consensus candidate of the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA), which leads Nagaland’s multi-party coalition government.

The NPP will also support NPF candidate Kachui Timothy Zimik in the Outer Manipur seat, Mr. Sangma informed the media. He added that his party would also support BJP nominees in two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh — Union Minister Kiren Rijiju (Arunachal West) and Tapir Gao (Arunachal East).

The NPF has fielded Zimik, replacing its sitting MP Lorho S. Pfoze.

The NPP, NPF, and NDPP are allies of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Sangma mentioned that the NDA partners are supporting each other’s candidates in different northeastern states.

Previously, the BJP had announced its support for the NPP candidates in the two parliamentary seats in Meghalaya, the NPF nominee in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat, and the NDPP contender in Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha seat. However, the BJP has not yet declared its candidate for the Inner Manipur seat.

The NPP, which dominates the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government led by Sangma, has nominated state minister Ampareen Lyngdoh for the Shillong Lok Sabha constituency, and renominated Agatha K. Sangma for Tura.

Agatha K. Sangma, the sister of Conrad Sangma, was the youngest Union Minister during the second UPA government.