From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI: The by-elections to both Williamnagar and Ampati seats will be a litmus test for Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his predecessor Mukul Sangma.
The tussle between the Sangmas continues beyond the February ballot battle. Conrad has to choose a seat for himself since he is an MP and will have to be elected as an MLA within six months.
While the date for the by-poll in Williamnagar, which was represented by Congress’s Deborah Marak, has already been announced, that for Ampati, which was vacated by Mukul, is yet to be decided.
For Conrad, finding a seat is difficult since he will not take the risk of contesting from Ampati and it is not his base. His sister Agatha from Tura and brother James are already holding the posts of chief whip and home minister, respectively.
The NPP national president is also not too comfortable in Williamnagar since Deborah is a strong candidate and was close to the Purno Sangma family. Ironically, Deborah might face stiff challenge from the widow of the slain NCP candidate Jonathone Sangma who has the voters’ sympathy.
Ampati too is risky for Conrad as it has been Mukul’s stronghold for a long time. The former chief minister, who is fielding his daughter in Ampati, will pull all punches to win the South West Garo Hills seat.
It is also true that for Mukul, Ampati will not be a cakewalk this time. There is a vertical division in the state Congress on this issue after his not-so-expected performance in Garo Hills.
Many party leaders in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, including Shillong MP Vincent Pala, a known Mukul critic, are not happy with the fact that despite a humiliating poll performance, Mukul is bringing in family members to the Assembly.
Moreover, this time the Congress is neither in power at the Centre or in the state. To add to the challenge, NPP, which got two seats in the 2013 polls, improved is performances in Garo Hills and spread even to the Khasi-Jaintia for the first time.
When Conrad resigns as MP, there has to be another by-election to Tura Lok Sabha seat where the party seems to be sitting pretty considering Purno’s charisma and past records. The party did well in all the Assembly segments of Tura in which Conrad first won barring that of Ampati. The party did well too in the district council polls, which covers the whole of Tura Lok Sabha constituency.
Whatever be the outcome, stakes are equally high for Conrad and Mukul. The former wants to prove his leadership once again after his father and the latter wants to remain the strong man of Garo Hills.