By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The electoral contest for the prestigious Nongstoin constituency in West Khasi Hills between the two top contenders – HSPDP supremo Hoping Stone Lyngdoh and his protégé Dr Adviser Pariong – is now being termed as a fight between a follower and his mentor who had been instrumental in the former’s victory in the last Assembly election in 2008.
Political observers from the district say are more than convinced that the HSPDP chief, who has never lost an election till date, would have an easy outing against the Congress candidate (Dr Pariong).
Lyngdoh’s political achievements are no mean feat and hard to emulate. He is a ten-time MLA, a seven-time MDC and a one-time Member of Parliament.
On the other hand, Dr Pariong has much to prove since he was elected as a legislator from the erstwhile Pariong constituency with the ‘blessings’ of his mentor and ‘political guru’ Lyngdoh. It will be tall task for the former Pariong legislator to prove to the people of the State that he does not need a ‘Godfather’ to win the election. Dr Pariong would have to ‘climb a mountain’ to defeat the veteran legislator who has represented Nongstoin for ten consecutive terms.
“I have been betrayed by Dr Pariong. He (Dr Pariong) has decided to contest against me since he has lost the support of the people of Pariong which is now under Mawthadraishan constituency following the delimitation,” Lyngdoh said while speaking to The Shillong Times on Sunday.
He also said that the former Pariong legislator has miserably failed as a legislator.
“In the past five years, he has done nothing to develop his constituency. He (Dr Pariong) would have to hope for a miracle since there are four villages which were under Pariong and have now come under Nongstoin after the delimitation. I have been informed that he is pumping all the MLA schemes in these four villages,” Lyngdoh said.
The HSPDP supremo also stated that he has never contested the elections to get fame or to become rich.
“I have always stood by my principles. This time also I would speak at length for a separate Khasi-Jaintia State during my election campaigns across the State,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh also claimed that in the past 40 years, he has never gone for an extensive campaign.
“It is the people who have campaigned for me. This time also I would not campaign for myself. I would focus my campaign to highlight the agenda of my party in maximum of the constituencies in Khasi-Jaintia Hills where there is an HSPDP candidate,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Congress candidate from Nongstoin (Dr Pariong) said that he had decided to leave the HSPDP since it was a ‘poor party’.
“I personally feel that I could serve the people of the State better by joining a national party like the Congress,” Dr Pariong said while adding that he can bring more funds to develop his constituency by being in the Congress.
Dr Pariong did not make any comment when asked whether his exit from the HSPDP was a sort of betrayal.