Shillong, Feb 22: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday said the other political parties are worrying that the National People’s Party (NPP) is growing in the North East region.

He was referring to the recent attacks on NPP candidates for the Manipur Assembly polls, which are slated from February 28 and March 5.

Sangma told reporters that the party had already filed a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

He said that the fact that these attacks on the NPP candidates are taking place reflects the political situation that is there.

“From a political angle, if you look at it, it does reflect that there is a certain growth in the NPP which other parties could be worried about and that is why these kinds of attacks are taking place,” Sangma said.

He, however, added that from a direct point of view, it is sad these things are happening as in democracy, elections should be free and fair and “we condemn these kinds of act”.

On Himanta’s remark against NPP

On Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s scathing attack on the NPP, where he maintained that NPP will not be part of the next government in Manipur, Sangma said his party will decide on how to move forward after the election results are declared.

“Himanta Biswa Sarma has said it as a BJP leader and that is his view. In election campaigns everybody will give their speeches. If you listen to our speeches, we also have spoken in favour of our party and that is how we go in elections,” he said.

“I have always maintained that whatever the situation will be, (it) will only be clear once election results are out. So we will wait for election results, let us see,” the CM said. He further asserted that similar statements were also made in the past elections by different political parties but when the results came out the situation was different.