Shillong, Oct.7: The state BJP today decided to support the candidates of the current Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in a bid to defeat the Congress.

The lone BJP minister in the MPA, A.L. Hek, today said the BJP would toe the NDA line in supporting the candidates. He said the MPA coalition is mulling the prospect of jointly fielding candidates for the Shillong and Tura seats to contest the Lok Sabha election scheduled for early next year.

“As the BJP would not put up any candidates for the Shillong and Tura seats in Meghalaya, the party will support the common candidate of the MPA to ensure that a Congress candidate does not get elected in either of the seats,” he said.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which was in the Opposition, had put up candidates both for Shillong and Tura. However, under the current MPA coalition where the BJP is a partner, the party has no other option than to support the MPA candidates.

The MPA is backed by the NCP (15), UDP (11), HSPDP (2), KHNAM and the BJP one each, besides three Independents.

While NCP leader P.A. Sangma’s daughter Agatha Sangma will contest the Tura seat, the UDP, the next major coalition partner in the MPA, will put up the party candidate for the Shillong seat to be supported by other coalition partners.

The UDP is yet to finalise the name of the candidate.

BJP leader L.K. Advani, during his recent visit to Shillong, met NCP general secretary P.A. Sangma, chief minister Donkupar Roy and other state BJP leaders.

After the meeting, the chief minister iterated the need to go the NDA way during the Lok Sabha elections.

Sangma admitted that the MPA was considering the prospect of fielding common candidates for the polls in both the seats.

He also welcomed the move of the BJP and other coalition partners to support her daughter to contest the Tura seat.