SHILLONG, March 18 � Despite attempts to revive the Third Front, it is only the �big� National parties like the Congress and the BJP which can provide a stable Government at the Centre not the Third Front.
Veteran Parliamentarian and former Lok Sabha Speaker, Purno A Sangma opined here on Saturday that past experience suggest that the Third Front, though an alternative to the Congress and the BJP, will find it difficult to sustain due to inherent ideological differences of the parties involved.
�Even if the Third Front comes to power, how long the Government sustains is a big question mark as the formula has failed earlier,� Sangma said adding, �big� National parties like the Congress and the BJP therefore has to find their way out from the present poor showing to form the next Government at the Centre.
Ruling out mid-term polls at the Centre, he said as a rule of thumb, most Member of Parliamentarians dread mid-term polls and therefore the present UPA II Government would scrap through, despite chinks surfacing in the ruling coalition.
�During my 30 years as a MP I can tell you that very few MPs want a mid-term poll. They would rather wait and therefore the present UPA II Government would complete its term,� the veteran politician theorised.
He said cracks have surfaced in the ruling UPA coalition with posturing from the Trinamool Congress, but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sounded confident that his Government has the requisite numbers to scrap through this difficult period.
�There have been talks about the Samajwadi Party extending support to the Government and I am sure the Prime Minister�s confidence has come due to some tacit understanding,� he added.
Sangma spoke after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced the names of 15 candidates as part of its poll preparation for the upcoming State Assembly elections in 2013.
PTI adds: Nationalist Congress Party leader Purno Agitok Sangma on Saturday released the first list of candidates for the 2013 Assembly elections in Meghalaya.
The NCP national general secretary announced this at the inauguration of party headquarters here which was attended by party MLAs and leaders from across Meghalaya.
�We are coming to power in 2013 and NCP will form a stable Government in the next term,� Sangma said.
Stating that Meghalaya has suffered tremendously over the years due to political instability, the former Lok Sabha Speaker recalled how, in 2002, 59 out of the 60 MLAs had become ministers of four different Governments in a span of four years.
�If Meghalaya has to catch up with the rest of the States in the country and the fast-paced world, we need a stable Government that will last for a term of five years,� he said. Blaming ruling Congress� lack of leadership for the present state of affairs, Sangma said, �You find factions of Lapang, Mukul and Prestone in Congress in Meghalaya.�
Sangma said his party is the only party in Meghalaya which has �leadership, unity and is disciplined.�
Out of the 14 names released today to contest in the 60 Assembly seats, 12 are sitting MLAs which also included his sons � Leader of Opposition Conrad K Sangma and James K Sangma.
However, Purno, himself a legislator from Tura in West Garo Hills district and the name of Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai did not appear in the list.
