From Our Correspondent
NONGSTOIN: Various primary units of the Congress in West Khasi Hills have extended their support to Bestar Kharbani, a Congress ticket aspirant from Nongstoin AC for the forthcoming State elections, even as they appealed to him to hold party meetings at various locations in the constituency.
Bestar Kharbani is one of the co-founders of the Congress in Nongstoin along with Sanderson Dkhar, RR Nongseij and Bero Shangrit. He joined the Congress in 1980 along with former legislator Francis Mawlott. Although the party has never registered a win in Nongstoin, Kharbani has remained attached to the party all these years.
Kharbani has also donated the District Congress Committee’s office (Congress Bhawan) at Nongstoin to the party.
A Congressman from Nongstoin, S Syiemiong, said that Kharbani was the favourite candidate being a local of the area and having knowledge of the problems and aspirations of the people of Nongstoin.
He added that the incumbent MLA (Hopingstone Lyngdoh of the HSPDP) has failed to bring about any development in the constituency despite his legendary stint as a representative of the constituency.
Reliable sources informed that if Kharbani were to get the Congress party ticket, Dr Advisor Pariong would also back him.
There are also statements doing the rounds in Nongstoin that Kharbani is the only candidate who has the ability to defeat Hopingstone in the coming election.
Meanwhile, when asked what would happen if none of the three aspirants – Bestar Kharbani, David Marwein and Nestingdar Nongdkhar – were allotted the Congress ticket, Kharbani replied that they would hold a public meeting wherein they along with their supporters would decide whether to stay in the party or support any other suitable candidate.