The National People’s Party (NPP) on Wednesday ruled out any pre-poll alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in any of the seats in the Northeast.

Making the announcement a day after meeting BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav in Guwahati, NPP president and Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma said that Tuesday’s meeting between the BJP leader and chief ministers of the northeastern states discussed how to move ahead with the elections.

“The NPP has been very clear in its stand that it is a party which has its own identity. We have our own ideology and, therefore, we will contest the elections on our own terms,” Conrad told reporters here. While ruling out any pre-poll alliance with the BJP, he said the NPP would put up candidates in constituencies where the party is receiving a “positive response”.

He said: “Even in the past, the NPP always maintained its ideology and identity and fought elections on its own terms.” Exuding confidence that the party would retain the Tura Lok Sabha seat, Conrad said: “We are very confident that we will win the seat no matter who the candidate is; people have complete faith in the party, its candidate and the leadership.”

On the developments in Arunachal Pradesh where some NPP legislators who had joined from the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) left the party, he said: “It is unfortunate. The legislators came from the PPA and a few of them have left. It sends a very wrong signal; and people will judge. That is their decision.”

However, he said the NPP was getting a “tremendous response” and it would set up candidates in as many constituencies as possible for the upcoming Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh. “I do expect the Arunachal elections will be very positive for the NPP,” Conrad said.