TURA: Several hundred supporters of sitting Independent legislator from Rajabala, Ashahel D Shira, held a public rally to shore up support for him after he was denied a Congress ticket to contest the February 27th elections.
The sitting legislator who gave his support to Mukul Sangma government for five years and was made a parliamentary secretary did not make it to the final list of names for the upcoming contest.
Although Shira was asked to apply for the party ticket with an assurance of being selected, yet, in the end Congress nominated Dr Azad Zaman as the party candidate for Rajabala.
“I was asked time and again to apply for the ticket by the party leaders because I had worked closely with the Congress government in the state for the last five years. Denial of ticket is not going to hamper my prospects in the polls,” a confident Shira announced to his crowd of supporters at Takkimagre village of Rajabala where the rally was held.
Some of his supportersexpressed anger at the betrayal by the Congress to their leader. “Both the main parties, Congress and National People Party, have given their tickets to non-tribal candidates in a constituency shared jointly by tribal and non-tribal communities. We had expected either party to at least nominate a Garo candidate,” a disillusioned supporter lamented at the rally.
“I don’t blame any of the parties. My support is amongst farmers, teachers and the common people of Rajabala who had all along been asking me enter the election fray as an Independent. They will decide my fate, not the Congress or the NPP,” says Ashahel Shira as he calls for unity among his supporters ahead of the elections.
Some are of the opinion that the decision to allocate the Congress ticket to a non-tribal candidate was to cement the minority vote bank and prevent it from breaking away in key constituencies such as Mahendraganj, Rajabala, Phulbari and Tikrikilla where they play a deciding factor.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma’s wife Dikkanchi D Shira is contesting to retain Mahendraganj seat in the border constituency. The party has also allotted the Phulbari ticket to sitting legislator A T Mondol.
