BY Albert Thyrniang
It will be Conrad K Sangma versus Dikkanchi D Shira for the Tura Lok Sabha by-poll schedule to be held on may 16 next. Yes it will be late PA Sangma’s son versus the Chief Minister’s wife. The BJP and GNC may put up candidates but they will be minor players. Independents may also join the bandwagon but the contest will be between the NPP and the Congress. Everything will be at stake for both the parties. For the NPP it will be a matter of relevance and survival. For the Congress it will be the biggest coup if it wrests the seat that the late PA Sangma had made his own for almost four decades.
At the moment it seems the junior Sangma is going to walk away with the winner’s trophy. It looks as if he is going to fill in the big shoes of his father. He is going to represent Garo Hills in Lok Sabha in place of the famed former Lok Sabha Speaker. He expects an easy win. Four factors should work in favour of the junior Sangma.
On merit Conrad is widely considered a better bet. Political observers see him as capable and intelligent. Way back on July 6, 2012 in her article, “Topsy-turvy politics and the reinvention of Sangma”, renowned columnist, Patricia Mukhim observed that the Wharton Business School educated Conrad Sangma, “is an excellent young man with fine qualities of head and heart. Above all he is intelligent… And I know that Meghalaya needs young blood and Conrad Sangma is that person who understands governance and other ideas of statecraft. Let’s face facts; Conrad is the only guy at the moment who can give Dr Mukul Sangma a run for his money if there was a competition involving intellectual callisthenics.” Recently while paying tribute to PA Sangma, she writes, “I think he (Conrad) should and he must… he has what it takes to lead Meghalaya and the North East and to prove to this country that tribals have come into their own.” The fact that he was elected president of NPP unopposed after the sudden demise of his father speaks volumes about his capabilities.
Conrad has had some good experience. He was a legislator once, representing Selsella constituency during which tenure he became the state’s youngest finance minister at 30 in 2008. Later when the Donkupar Roy- led Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) government fell due to the Congress defection engineering works that led to the formation of government of the Hand party under the leadership of DD Lapang, he was chosen as Leader of the Opposition. The experience should serve the young politician well
Conrad’s name resonates with young people. This is a huge advantage for the ‘Young Turk’. The youths of Garo Hills who constitute more than 30 per cent of the total voters might identify themselves with the 1977 born, 39 year old young gun seen to be a dynamic and vibrant leader. Accused to be too much under the shadow of his dad, now he has the opportunity to bloom, though invoking his father’s legacy, of course. That brings us to the next important point.
Sympathy will play a big part in the performance of the for former Lok Sabha Speaker’s youngest son. Even his opponents are fully aware of this fact and will be weary of it. Sympathy has worked elsewhere and might work here too. Conrad and the NPP will make the most of the name and fame of the iconic and legendary PA Sangma. The people of Garo Hills had never let their man down. Over forty years the voters made him victorious in all political battles. From now on posters and banners will be on display, speeches will be made invoking his name, narrating his inspiring life and listing his achievements. Appeals to voters will be made to vote for his son to fulfill the dreams and plans of the departed father. Adokgre village where Conrad kicked off his campaign on May 25 saw it all. An overwhelming positive response could be expected.
What about Dikkanchi D Shira? Not much is known about her except that she is the wife of the Chief Minister and MLA from Mahendraganj in South West Garo Hills. She is a 1988 graduate from NEHU. If websites information is correct she is the registered director of at least nine firms, a successful business woman with enviable movable and immovable assets. Recently she was seen inaugurating a suspended bridge along with her husband.
Will she have a chance? Why not? What are her strengths? A couple of them are worth considering! She is the wife of the Chief Minister after all. Dr. Mukul is going to campaign extensively for his better half. The fight will be his as much as hers. Remember in 2014 when he aggressively campaigned for Daryl William Cheran Momin? The ‘David’ Daryl almost pull off an upset win against the ‘Goliath’ PA Sangma. The novice lost to the veteran by just 40,000 votes. All because of Dr. Mukul Sangma! The CM knows the huge implication of this by-election. Victory will make him the undisputed Congress leader not only in Garo Hills but in the state. 10 Janpath will be mighty pleased with him and will certainly reward him big. His leadership will no more be questioned and the demand for change of the same will disappear into thin air. Aspiring alternatives will go into hiding. A loss on the other hand will adversely affect his leadership. His style of leadership too will come under fresh scanners and the demand to replace him will get shriller and louder. So the CM is going to do whatever it takes to capture the Tura seat and leave the NPP in deep crisis.
Dikkanchi has another unmatched advantage. She is fighting on a Congress ticket. The Congress has 13 MLAs from Garo Hills plus independents who are supporting the Congress Government in the state. Reportedly there are 18 MLAs (out of 21) in the Congress camp. If all of them ensure that the congress candidate win in their respective constituencies then Dikkanchi will be on her way to Delhi come 19th of May. The Congress has huge resources; much more than the NPP for sure. Money may not be the only factor but certainly one of the compelling motives for voting for a particular candidate not only in Garo Hills but all over the country. Could it be a decisive or a deciding factor?
Who will the 587717 voters, 297236 male and 290481 female vote on the May 16, 2016? What will be the issues to ponder upon? Will it be corruption? Will it be law and order? Will it be development? Will it be unemployment? Will the above factors be meditated upon by the electorate? It is believed that a vast majority have made up their minds. Officially, however, they have three weeks to decide whether their finger will be the on hand or the book on the EVMs on the D-day. The winner could register a narrow win and so the loser will lose fighting. Will Conrad K Sangma or Dikkanchi D Shira be our next representative in the Lower House of the Indian Parliament or will someone else throw a surprise?