SHILLONG: Sitting MP and Congress candidate Vincent H Pala was among the four candidates who filed nomination papers for Shillong Lok Sabha seat on Friday.
Besides Pala, others who filed nomination papers on Friday for the April 9 election were Independent candidate PBM Basaiawmoit, BJP nominee Shibun Lyngdoh and CPI nominee Richard Shabong.
With this, altogether six candidates have joined the fray for the Shillong seat.
UDP candidate Paul Lyngdoh was the first one to file his nomination papers for the Shillong Lok Sabha seat followed by Aam Admi Party (AAP) candidate Armerington Kharshiing.
Pala was accompanied by senior party leaders including District Council Affairs minister HDR Lyngdoh and Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee chief DD Lapang.
After filing his papers, Pala told reporters his priority would be to address the unemployment problem faced by the youths of the state.
Towards this end, he informed that he was proposing to initiate training programmes in skill development by engaging professional trainers from Delhi to train the state youths and equip them with the required skills to meet the various demands in the job market.
According to Pala, influx and boundary disputes were matters of serious concern.
“It is important to protect our own identity, but it is also equally important to ensure that in the name of preservation genuine Indian citizens are not harassed,” he said.
While refuting the perception being circulated that UDP’s Paul Lyngdoh is his dummy candidate, Pala said, “Lyngdoh is representing the UDP which is a recognized and the second largest party in the state and I am representing Congress, the largest national party. One should not mix up personal and professional issues because they are two different things.”
Speaking to media persons after filing his nomination, Rev PBM Basaiawmoit said that he would implement his 18-point charter for the benefit of the state and its citizen if he won.
He refused to comment on joining NDA or UPA in a post-poll alliance.
He filed his nomination papers in presence of his supporters including KHNAM MDC Edelbert Nongrum.
BJP nominee Shibun Lyngdoh said that there was no development in Meghalaya whereas Gujarat was the shining example of development under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
The candidates
till now:
Vincent H Pala (Cong)
Paul Lyngdoh (UDP)
Shibun Lyngdoh (BJP)
Armerington Kharshiing (AAP)
Richard Shabong (CPI)
PBM Basaiawmoit (IND)