Shillong: In the face of a possible split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on its alliance issue, the outfit's Meghalaya State unit today (Jan 21, 2004) threw its weight behind Purno A Sangma while accusing Sharad Pawar of "deviating" from the party's "original ideology".

''Our State unit is totally behind Purno A Sangma. We have already authorised him to take any decision on alliance issue,'' NCP's Meghalaya unit president Edmund K Sangma said from his West Garo Hills district town Tura residence.

Sangma, also an MLA, said the State unit already took a decision in this regard on December 29 last.

Accusing Pawar of parting ways with NCP, Edmund K Sangma said the Maratha leader was clearly deviating from NCP's "original ideology and stand" as he refused now to admit Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin as an issue.

The State unit president said three representatives from Meghalaya would meet Purno A Sangma in Delhi on January 24 ahead of the former Lok Sabha Speaker's "last" meeting with Pawar.