SHILLONG: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state president Saleng Sangma said that Krinilla Marak, the wife of late NCP candidate Jonathone Sangma’s wife, has become the people’s choice to contest the Williamnagar bye-poll.
The election to the seat was postponed after NCP candidate Jonathone Sangma was killed in an IED blast while returning from a village after campaigning on February 18.
“It is the people who are asking for her ( Jonathone’s wife) even though she is grief-stricken. She has not rejected the demand of the people that the candidate should be from their family only,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Asked whether sympathy votes will work, the MLA from Gambegre said that even Jonathone was a winning candidate.
“Even before the sympathy votes, we were confidently expecting that we will get Williamnagar seat, but mid-way this happened (the killing of Jonathone Sangma),” he said.
According to Sangma, there is sympathy vote but people also have to look at other angles.
The candidate will not be working alone and it will be a team work as she will be advised by the supporters of Jonathone who are advocates, graduates and post-graduates, he added.
Recalling the contribution of the late candidate, Saleng said, “ Jonathone was a good soul. He helped whenever any student or family asked for help. Hence people were behind him”.
He lauded Jonathone’s wife for speaking on the first day when people chose her to be the candidate even as she was grieving and said, “She stood for the people.”
Saleng said that the election campaign for the Williamnagar seat has started.
Clueless on
Jonathone’s death
Saleng said that the party has written to the state government about the demand for NIA probe into Jonathone’s killing.
“We are clueless even now on the reason behind the killing of Jonathone. Who will be profited out of that? Those are the reasons we need to know,” he said.
He asserted that everything should be made clear and there should be proper probe.
Commenting on the connection between Jonathone and the killing of GNLA chief Sohan Shira, he said, “I cannot comment on that and at the same time we cannot suspect anybody.”
According to Saleng, politician-militant nexus is a dangerous trend which should be checked and the NIA probe will clear the doubts.
