Public rally at Resubelpara on March 18

SHILLONG: With the official announcement of the candidature of Daryl Momin for Tura seat on Thursday, Congress  will kick start its campaign with by  party Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressing a public rally on March 18 at Resubelpara, the headquarter of newly-created  North Garo Hills district.
According to party sources, Rahul chose Resubelpara since the creation of the district was the culmination of the assurance made by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the past.
Moreover, Resubelpara is the home constituency of former Chief Minister SC Marak who is close to the UPA chairperson.
However, a senior party leader said that since Rahul had visited Ampati, Williamnagar and Tura in the past, the party decided to have the rally in Resubelpara.
Besides the Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, Cabinet Minister Deborah Marak and SC Marak, who is the Chairman of the Meghalaya State Planning Board, other party leaders will also attend the  Resubelpara rally.
Rahul will introduce Darly, the grandson of first Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Captain Williamson Sangma  to the people during the public rally as the candidate is a new entrant.

HSPDP likely to back PBM 

SHILLONG: The chance of the regional parties in Meghalaya taking on the Congress in a straight contest in the Shillong Lok Sabha seat seems to be receding as HSPDP is likely to back Rev PBM Basaiawmoit as its candidate in Shillong. “We would be meeting soon to take a final decision,” HSPDP vice president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said on Thursday.
UDP has already decided to stick by its decision to put up its working president Paul Lyngdoh as the party candidate in Shillong.
With the UDP deciding to stick by its decision to put up its working president Paul Lyngdoh as the party candidature, the HSPDP is likely to back Rev PBM Basaiawmoit in the upcoming Lok Sabha election from the Shillong Parliamentary seats. When contacted, HSPDP vice president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said that they are likely to back Rev Basaiawmoit since they had already given a written assurance to support him.
Both KHNAM and HSPDP had put a condition that they would agree to support UDP’s nominee in Shillong if either UDP working president Bindo Mathew Lanong or Nongthymmai legislator Jemino Mawthoh was given the ticket.  In feelers sent to UDP leaders, KHNAM and HSPDP had expressed the view that Lanong and Mawthoh would have a better chance of winning the Shillong seat.