Megahlaya chief minister and National People's Party (NPP) national president Conrad K Sangma filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Meghalaya assembly polls on Saturday.
Conrad filed his nomination before the Returning Officer of 51-South Tura and Additional Deputy Commissioner, Saljong R Marak.
Prior to the filing of his nomination, the NPP chief accompanied by his wife visited the grave of his late father and former CM, PA Sangma, in Tura, to seek his blessings.
Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Conrad said there is a positive wave for the National People's Party and the opposition is disintegrating day by day.
"Hence, in this political scenario I see the trend that NPP is heading towards getting an absolute majority and we are confident that we will get it," he said.
Talking about the issues based on which the party will fight the elections, he said, "We are moving ahead with the development work we have done in the last 5 years. It is time to take things forward to the next level and the continuity is important to ensure that we'll be able to achieve those goals."
Responding to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Dr Mukul Sangma's allegation that the NPP Chief is making racial comments, Conrad denied making any racial comments.
"I have said that it's (TMC) an outsider party based on the analogy where Madam Mamata Banerjee herself has said in the last West Bengal elections that BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] and other national parties are outside parties. I have said that if the same yardstick is applied to Meghalaya, with those yardsticks, which Mamata Banerjee has herself mentioned in her speech in elections, then TMC is an outside party. There is nothing racial about that comment."
On Friday, the chief minister released the party's manifesto, 'People's Document - Vision 2023-28, at a meeting held at Jowai in West Jaintia Hills District with a focus on farmers and villages and promising to create 5 lakh jobs and employment opportunities for the youth if voted back to power.
The assembly polls in Meghalaya are slated for February 27. The nominations will be scrutinised on February 8 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 10, 2023. The results will be declared on March 2, 2023.
(with inputs from ANI)
