GUWAHATI, March 15 � Despite sweeping the Mising Autonomous Council polls last year, the Ganashakti Party has decided to refrain from contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha polls and the party has also decided not to extend support to any party.
The Ganashakti Party swept the elections to the Mising Autonomous Council as it managed to win 31 of the 34 seats, but the party is of the view that it is still not strong enough to win any Lok Sabha seat.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Ganashakti general secretary Bhubon Pegu said that the party had contested from Lakhimpur constituency in the 2009 general elections and got more than 1.46 lakh votes. �Our position has improved since then, but we felt that we are still not in a position to win the seat. We still do not have much presence in the Assembly segments in the south bank areas, while, our strength in Naoboicha constituency is also not adequate. That is why, instead of wasting our time and energy by contesting the Lok Sabha polls, we have decided to refrain from contesting," he added.
Pegu said that the party has directed all its office bearers and cadres to refrain from campaigning for any party or candidate in the ensuing polls. He said that before the 2011 Assembly polls, Ganashakti came into an electoral understanding with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), but the relationship did not last after the elections. He said that no party has formally sought the support from the Ganashakti and �we are also not going ahead to offer support to anyone.�
Replying to a question for which party the supporters of Ganashakti would cast their votes in the coming polls, Pegu said that the people would cast votes as per their wish. The people these days are intelligent enough and politically conscious to decide who would be the best candidate for them and no one needs to tell them whom to vote for, he added.
