SHILLONG/NONGSTOIN: The National People’s Party (NPP) has lost two leaders in Khasi Hills over ticket distribution.
The president of NPP Mawlai circle, Silvester Kurbah, has resigned from the party after the party decided that it would not set up a candidate from Mawlai constituency.
Kurbah who is aspiring for NPP ticket from Mawlai and his supporters were disappointed at this move of NPP as they argued that they have worked hard to mobilise the party in the constituency.
The president Shillong city and organising secretary of the state NPP called Kurbah and his supporters to meet them in the party office at Lachumiere where they conveyed the message to them.
“They (the party leaders) have not made anything clear. They said that the party is not going to set up any candidate in Mawlai though they told us that we can still work for the party,” he said.
Peeved at the move of the NPP, he said, “I have decided to contest the election as an independent in the 2018 State Assembly elections.”
According to him, political parties are not trust worthy and argued that even regional parties in the state stand in disaccord with one another.
Kurbah joined NPP last year and has applied for VRS which will effect on November 30.
He was Superintendent, Mines and Minerals, Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council.
Meanwhile, HL Nongsiang, an NPP ticket aspirant in West Khasi Hills, has decided to contest as an Independent candidate from Mawshynrut.
The decision was taken during a meeting on Thursday.
The 100-odd supporters of Nongsiang who attended the meeting had extended their support to the disgruntled leader.
NPP’s J Shyrkon said at the meeting that it was surprising why Nongsiang did not get ticket because he was the “only person who accepted the idea of NPP and also formed the NPP Mawshynrut Block” and took the party’s ideology to different corners of the constituency.
Nongsiang made it known that the NPP has betrayed him and the party was going to regret their decision.
Nongsiang said the party betrayed him and he did not want to contest after he was denied ticket. “But the supporters won’t allow me to as they have already carried out a door-to-door campaign in villages,” the leader added.