PM should not campaign in Assembly elections : UDP

SHILLONG: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should not campaign in Assembly elections in Meghalaya to make competition among state parties equal, Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) today said.

"We expect state elections to be among equals and therefore, the Prime Minister should not campaign for the Congress henceforth," Opposition Leader Donkupar Roy said while participating in the debate on Governor's address on the second day of the Budget session here.

Appreciating the Governor R S Mooshahary's statement in the House that last month's Assembly elections were held in a peaceful manner, Roy said he did not know if the elections were really held in a "free and fair" manner with the Prime Minister campaigning for his party in the state.

The UDP, the main regional party which won the maximum number of seats (eight out of 60 seats), demanded that the Prime Minister should refrain from campaigning in state politics in future.

"What ever happened, it was in the past. We expect henceforth that the elections in the state be among equals," Roy said.

He also said, "I do not know how you define free and fair when people do not have confidence in the functioning of EVMs."

The Congress won 29 seats out of 60, two short of attaining absolute majority and went on to form the MUA-II government with support of NCP and Independent MLAs. The Opposition UDP won only eight and the other regional party, the Hills State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) won four seats.