Teinwell, Latiplang file papers
SHILLONG: With the election of the KHADC chief executive member scheduled on Friday, two nomination papers were filed on Thursday.
UDP MDC Teinwell Dkhar from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Independent MDC Latiplang Kharkongor from the newly floated alliance, United Democratic Forum (UDF) filed their papers.
The UDA has 14 MDCs consisting of members from UDP, NPP, HSPDP and an Independent while the UDF also has 14 MDCs comprising nine from Congress, two Independents, one People’s Democratic Front (PDF) and two rebel NPP MDCs.
During the no-confidence motion on Wednesday, the Executive Committee (EC) led by Dkhar was ousted following the vote cast by the Chairman of the KHADC PN Syiem, in favour of the Opposition during a voting by division.
The numbers game
Later, speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Kharkongor said, “I am confident after seeing the numbers and it is about numbers on the voting day. I can understand that the victory is ours. We are intact. But the door is also open to those who want to join the alliance”.
He informed that in a meeting held on Wednesday night, the UDF members have elected him as Parliamentary Party (PP) leader and secretary of the PP is Congress MDC Charles Marngar.
Kharkongor had held the portfolio of trade when he was an executive member in the previous executive committee.
With the trade department having drawn much attention since the past few months, he said he will ensure that the Trading by Non-Tribal Regulation will have to be followed while issuing trading licenses.
Though the Congress has a total of 9 MDCs, they chose to elect Kharkongor as the CEM nominee.
When asked on this matter, secretary of the UDF PP, Charles Marngar said that the UDF is looking for someone who has experience and can gain confidence of the MDCs.
NPP MDC Mitchell Wankhar, who shifted allegiance, said that cross voting is not an act of betrayal. He argued that the Information Technology Department (formerly held by PDF MDC Macdalyn Sawkmie) and Fisheries department (held by him) were ignored whereas other departments were getting the necessary sanctions.
On the other hand, UDP MDC Dkhar said, “We hope the numbers will remain intact but we do not know what will happen, we will see on the voting day”.
Fresh from the wounds of betrayal by fellow UDA member and chairman of KHADC, PN Syiem,
Dkhar told reporters that it is not the decision of the members but it was the vote of the chairman that toppled the EC.
He was also asked his opinion on the voting process in which the ruling and opposition MDCs voted in noes and ayes lobbies respectively which had separate boxes and the contents of the two boxes were then emptied into a main box.
Dkhar said, “I do not know his (PN Syiem’s) functioning but he has made the preparations for the voting a night before the no-confidence. We do not know his plans but we have to obey the rules of the chairman”.
He reiterated that there is no such voting whenever a no-confidence motion is moved and said that the voting has set a new precedent.
Dkhar said, “It is our duty to file the nominations and whether we are confident or not, it is our duty to follow the formalities and not to surrender but to move ahead”.
With the KHADC coming under heavy criticism from the public on the frequent change of ECs, he said that there has to be anti-defection law in the KHADC.