Shillong, June 26: The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) is gearing up its preparation for the upcoming 2023 assembly elections.

“We want to get a simple majority – that is our preparation,” NPP national president and deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters on Friday.

He said that the NPP prefers to fight alone as it is not keen on having any pre-poll alliance ahead of the 2023 elections in the state.

Whether the anti-incumbency will affect the party’s prospects, Tynsong however said, “That, we will leave it to our candidates. I will not tell you, I will tell only to our NPP candidates on how they will go and explain to the people.”

The deputy chief minister said that the NPP has no time to counter the anti-government campaigns as its main focus is to win the elections.

“Ultimately the public understands who is NPP and other political parties in Meghalaya, they know who is the candidate. Therefore, we don’t want to unnecessarily spend time countering the statements (of people) as we are focusing on how to win the elections and get a simple majority,” he said.

When asked, Tynsong said the party has not discussed the chief ministerial candidate.

The deputy chief minister also reminded that in Meghalaya, people elect a candidate of their choice and not on the basis of the party.

“Here in Meghalaya, it is very different from the rest of India. That is why every five years, independents keep on winning, otherwise why should independents win if people look at the party,” he said.