JHADC by-poll: UDP and Independent address gathering at Muktapur village
JOWAI: For the District Council by-poll candidates in War East constituency, Saturday was the last day for the election campaign and not Sunday.
Frenzied canvassing by all the four candidates – Lamdibok Sumer (Cong), Smenlang Kyndait (BJP), Firstborn Manner (UDP) and Losing Lakuna (Independent) – for the lone seat in the JHADC, which fell vacant after sitting MLA Stephanson Mukhim resigned as MDC last year, was witnessed on Saturday. The candidates flagged several issues during their public address and vowed to solve all problems if voted to power.
The UDP and Independent candidates held a public rally at Muktapur village on Saturday which attracted many supporters from all over the constituency.
UDP leaders including its working president, Bindo M Lanong, district president, Moonlight Pariat and other party workers addressed the rally.
Opposing border fencing, Pariat said many landed property will go to Bangladesh and added that “UDP, which is a regional party, will not allow the fencing to happen.”
He also blamed the sitting MLA for being silent on the border fencing issue.
According to Pariat, the resignation of Mukhim as MDC has created a loss to the constituency even as he added that the MLA resigned since he lacked the knowledge of law.
Lanong said the UDP had never favoured border fencing beyond 150 yard from the Zero line. “We should not lose an inch of our land to Bangladesh,” he said.
Lanong also informed that the UDP in 2011 had framed the Mining Policy in the State and it was passed by the House and approved by the Governor.
“However, the Mukul Sangma-led Government has never implemented the policy which resulted in the NGT ban on coal mining in the state. Had the Congress-led government strictly implemented the Mining Policy, there would not have been any NGT ban,” he said.
According to the UDP leader, if the party is elected to power in 2018, UDP will appoint local IAS officers as Deputy Commissioners in all districts. “Local persons will know better about the culture, tradition and customary law of the Khasi Pnars society,” he said.
Meanwhile, Independent candidate Losing Lakuna, who is a strong opponent of the former JHADC chief, and the Congress candidate also held public meetings at Muktapur on Saturday afternoon.
Local MLA Stephanson Mukhim, besides other prominent residents of the War East constituency, addressed the gathering and requested the people to support Lakuna.
