The Shillong Times - Established 1945

TURA/ SHILLONG, Oct 27: The curtains have finally fallen on the high intensity campaign between the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) constituents – NPP, UDP and BJP - and the challengers, Congress for by-elections to Mawphlang, Mawryngkneng and Rajabala seats at 4 pm on Wednesday with all parties making their best efforts to woo the voters to their side. On the last day of campaigning, all political parties made final attempts to convince and woo voters ahead of the October 30 polls. While Chief Minister Conrad K…

TURA, Oct 27: Chaotic scenes erupted at Rajabala’s Garodubi village shortly after the conclusion of the election campaign for the by-election when angry supporters of the Congress allegedly attacked the home of an NPP party worker destroying his boundary wall and ransacking the house spreading panic and fear among the family members that included women and children. Eleven people from both groups sustained injuries and were given first aid in hospital. How the incident occurred remains unclear, but both Congress and the…

SHILLONG, Oct 27: National People’s Party (NPP) national vice president, Prestone Tynsong dismissed Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president, Vincent H Pala’s claim that five-time former Chief Minister, DD Lapang is likely to return to the grand old party. “He (Lapang) is very much with us and now he is old. He has already told me that he will never leave the NPP,” Tynsong, who is also the Deputy CM, told reporters. Asked if he too has been approached by the Congress, Tynsong avoided a direct reply by…

SHILLONG, Oct 27: The independent committee probing the alleged corruption in the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) is set to miss the deadline for submitting its report. The Meghalaya government had on July 29 notified the constitution of this committee. The panel, given a three-month window to submit its report, is yet to receive the necessary papers from the MeECL. Sources said the committee issued a public notice asking the people to come up with evidence and documents substantiating the allegations. The…

SHILLONG, Oct 27: The National People’s Party (NPP) on Wednesday dared its rivals to substantiate their charges that it is using money power to influence voters in the by-elections to the three Assembly segments. “Let them prove by asking the voters if we tried to lure them by offering money,” NPP national vice president, Prestone Tynsong said while talking to reporters. Tynsong, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, said people have already decided who they will vote for and they will silently cast their votes on the…

SHILLONG, Oct 27: MPCC president and Lok Sabha member, Vincent H Pala has claimed the MDA government is involved in a clandestine land deal in direct violation of the ban on sale of government land. Accusing the state government of indulging in a land scam, Pala said the State Congress has been allotted a plot of land near the new office of the Shillong Municipal Board and when he visited the area he noticed some fencing work was going on and upon enquiring whether or not it was government land he was told that the land…

SHILLONG, Oct 27: In a U-turn, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has claimed that Congress legislature Party leader Mukul Sangma had sent his close aide to explore whether the NPP and the Congress could forge an alliance in the state. “The fact of the matter does not change whether he (Dr Mukul) came to meet me personally or communicated in some others way. But the Congress wanted to have an alliance with the NPP,” Tynsong said on Wednesday. The NPP leader further claimed that the Congress had attempted to forge an…