SHILLONG : United Democratic Party (UDP) president Metbah Lyngdoh on Wednesday said the party’s prospective candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha by-election is receiving encouraging feedback from the public, even as the party remains in the early stages of its election preparations.
Speaking to reporters, Lyngdoh said the UDP has not yet launched its full-fledged campaign as the Election Commission is yet to announce the date of the by-election. He also pointed out that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would run alongside election preparations.
“We have not gone into full-swing mode yet because the election date has not been announced or notified. Looking at the SIR exercise that is yet to commence immediately, that is also one factor. Side by side, the election cannot happen. So, we will have to take a call. It all depends on the government and the Election Commission of India,” Lyngdoh said.
He informed that the party has started internal consultations and meetings with party leaders, workers, and supporters across the state but has not yet begun public campaign programmes.
“We have just started in low mode. Basically, we are going to meet all party leaders, workers, and well-wishers who wish to attend the programmes, but not with the public yet,” he said.
According to the UDP chief, the initial response from the people has been highly positive, with many expressing confidence in the party’s prospective candidate.
“The first meeting was very positive. Overall, I would like to inform that the feedback and opinions given by the people is that our candidate is one of the best candidates so far, and people would like to see a change as far as this MP by-election is concerned,” Lyngdoh said.
On the possibility of support from HSPDP, Lyngdoh said no formal communication has been received so far. However, he maintained that the UDP remains open to support from political parties and individuals.
“No communication so far from HSPDP, but we are still keeping the door open for any individual or political party to extend support to our candidate,” he added.