By Eric Calvin Ranee
NONGPOH: Jirang Block Congress Committee vice-president Comfort Dolloi on Thursday threatened to quit the Congress and contest in the forthcoming Assembly election as an Independent from Jirang if the party deprived him of a ticket.
There are two aspirants for the Congress ticket – Barnabas Nongbah and Comfort Dolloi. The former is said to have the strong backing of former Union Minister of State for Water Resources and Shillong MP, Vincent Pala.
Informing this to The Shillong Times, Dolloi said that he understands that the party ticket for Jirang seat will be going to Nongbah as he has strong links with party higher up.
“I will be compelled to resign from the party for which I have been working hard so that the constituency would once again go to the Congress party but if the party does not recognize my efforts then what is the use of continuing in the party?” he questioned.
Dolloi said that the people of Jirang constituency want a local person to represent them in the floor of the House. Asserting that people are going to vote for a person who is a local and not the party, he informed that many people have approached him and asked him to contest the election even if he does not get the Congress ticket.
Among other candidates from the constituency are former RBYF Byrnihat Circle president S Sohtun from the NPP, Wallambok Mylliemngap (Independent) and Wonder Lapang (UDP).
However a potential king maker in the constituency is former Jirang NCP Block Committee president Indaris Maring who has a voice among the non-Khasi voters, aources said.
Presently he is learnt to be supporting Mylliemngap following a tiff with some NCP leaders (now NPP).
However, the general public of the constituency are apprehensive about the situation leading to the election since the area has, of late, become a hotbed for the banned GNLA outfit.
It may be recalled that in the last Assembly election in 2008, former Chief Minister JD Rymbai clinched the seat for the UDP by defeating Congress candidate and former Jirang MDC William Mynsong by a healthy margin of 1500 votes.
Rymbai was compelled to resign from the Congress following altercation with MPCC president and Nongpoh MLA DD Lapang over the coveted Chief Minister’s chair.