Multiple aspirants in fray for Cong, HSPDP tickets
NONGSTOIN: With less than a month to go for the Nongstoin by-poll scheduled for November 21, political parties, especially the Congress and HSPDP, are buzzing with activity with as many as three candidates each vying for the coveted ticket from both parties.
In the Congress, three aspirants–Gabriel Wahlang, Deputy Chairman of the KHADC, Nestingdar Nongdkhar, former MDC of Nongstoin and former MLA Adviser Pariong– are in the fray for the party ticket.
Nongdkhar never had a chance to contest in the Assembly election since the first victory of Congress in the Council election in 2005. He also resigned from the Nongstoin Block Congress Commitee in 2013.
Gabriel Wahlang, who is a former president of the State Youth Congress and was nominated as an MDC by the ruling Congress party seems to be a strong contender for the party ticket if one is to believe the sources. Being a local only added to his advantage, sources said.
The AICC general secretary in charge Meghalaya, V. Narayanasamy who was camping in Shillong on Sunday said that though the sudden announcement of by-poll by Election Commission was unexpected, the party was committed to finalise the candidate soon.
“The exercise is on from the block to the district level to identify the right candidate which will be examined by MPPC and then to be finally approved by the AICC,” Narayanasamy told reporters.
He also informed that the state election committee will meet on October 27 to decide on the candidature.
Meanwhile, the Hills State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) has its task cut out after the family members of late Hoping Stone Lyngdoh appealed to party leaders to allow a kin to contest the by-poll.
Sitting MDC of Nongstoin, L G Nongsiej, Dr. Fenela Lyngdoh Nonglait and Dios Jyndiang, personal assistant of (L) Hoping Stone Lyngdoh who claims to have the late HSPDP supremo’s blessings, are in the fray for the party ticket.
A general meeting of the party to be held in Nongstoin on October 29 will decide the fate of the ticket aspirants even as sources believe that Nongsiej and Jyndiang were the frontrunners.
However, HS Lyngdoh’s relatives, Badariti Lyngdoh Nonglait and Doffley S. Lyngdoh, are also in the fray for the ticket thus making the task to select a candidate difficult for the party.
Meanwhile, only one aspirant has applied for the BJP ticket while the UDP is likely to zero in on the candidate for the party on Monday.
The NCP which does not have any significant presence in Nongstoin will not put up any candidate as the party president Sanbor Shullai had earlier appealed to the political parties to allow any relative of late legislator to get elected from the seat.
Purno Sangma’s NPP, basking under the success of GHADC polls, has not made any announcement on contesting the by-poll.