BJP big guns train sight on ruling Congress
TURA: The Congress election strategy to concentrate their campaign attack on the BJP, instead of the NPP which is contesting the Tura by-election, has threatened to boomerang on the Mukul Sangma led campaign as the BJP trains its guns on the ruling party in Meghalaya pulling out all stops to make this one of the most hotly contested election in recent times.
Buoyed by the public ‘response’ to its election campaign for the NPP in Garo Hills particularly after holding one of its biggest election rallies in the heart of Tura on Wednesday evening, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to exert maximum campaign pressure on the Congress.
Two of the party’s best known faces in the national arena and hailing from the North East – Union MoS for Home Kiren Rijiju and Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal – are arriving at Resubelpara in North Garo Hills for a major election rally on Saturday, the last day of campaigning.
Resubelpara is currently in the Congress kitty as far as the last assembly election results are concerned with former Chief Minister Salseng C Marak being the current elected representative.
Meghalaya BJP leaders informed that the party wants to prove the Congress wrong when it comes to allegations about neglect of the North East.
“Sonowal and Rijiju are leaders from the North East who have been given important positions in the cabinet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to work for the development of the region. We want to show to the people of Garo Hills that BJP are with the people of the North East. That is one of the reasons we are paying tribute to one of the greatest tribal leaders P.A. Sangma by supporting his son’s candidature in this election,” informed BJP leaders.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and BJP national spokesperson and Meghalaya in-charge Nalin Kohli were deputed by the party to campaign for NPP candidate Conrad K. Sangma. They held two meetings on Wednesday at Gokulgre village of Bajengdoba and Tura bazaar, the latter witnessing one of the party’s best public turnouts.
The public rally at Tura assumes significance for both the contesting NPP party and its supporting ally BJP given that the current MLA of South Tura has thrown his weight behind the Congress candidate Dikkanchi D. Shira.
South Tura MLA John Leslee K. Sangma had extensively campaigned for (L) P.A. Sangma in the last MP election but this time round has shifted camp to the Congress.
Meanwhile, as campaigning draws to a close, political alliance continue to shift from one party to another.
The NPP’s block president and general secretary from Mendipathar, B.D. Shira and Digros D Shira have resigned from the party along with their supporters.
While Digros has cited personal reason for the resignation, block president B.D. Shira has expressed his displeasure over the joining of former Congress minister Frankenstein W. Momin into the NPP fold recently allegedly keeping the local unit in the dark.
A similar resignation drama was also unfolding in Samanda region of East Garo Hills where unhappy NPP members allegedly joined the Congress.
“As many as 209 NPP supporters have joined the Congress in Samanda,” informed Congress minister Deborah C. Marak over phone from Williamnagar. The joining reportedly took place in the presence of MPCC chief D.D. Lapang on Thursday.