Clement Momin to take on Mukul’s daughter in Ampati

TURA: The National People’s Party headed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has selected former school teacher and party loyalist Clement G Momin as their candidate for the upcoming by-election to Ampati constituency in South West Garo Hills district.

Clement Momin will be taking on former chief minister Mukul Sangma’s 27-year-old daughter Miani D Shira for the May 28^th by-poll which has been necessitated after Sangma resigned from the seat and retained Songsak in East Garo Hills. The former chief minister had won from both the constituencies in the February 27^th general elections to the state legislature.

“Out of four aspirants who applied for the party ticket the candidature of Clement Momin was endorsed by the election board of the NPP which met at Tura on Friday afternoon,” informed senior NPP leader and national observer of the party for Ampati by-polls, Nihim D Shira while speaking to The Shillong Times.

The three other candidates who applied for the party nomination were former MDC Binvichand D Sangma, Walseng Sangma and Drember Ch Marak, son-in-law of former Ampati MLA Monendro Agitok.

Clement Momin, a former school teacher who also runs his own private school has unsuccessfully contested against Mukul Sangma on two previous occasions.

In the 2008 elections, he lost to Mukul Sangma of the Congress by a margin of 2966 votes. While Mukul Sangma secured 10626 votes, Clement, contesting as the NCP candidate of Late P A Sangma’s party, obtained 7660 votes.

However, in the 2013 elections, the victory margin of Mukul Sangma soared to a staggering 9036 votes. The then chief minister Mukul Sangma secured 14,944 votes with 68.67 percent of the vote share while Clement Marak had to be contended with only 5908 votes (27.11% vote percentage).

Fresh from its victory in the just concluded Williamnagar election where the NPP candidate Marcuise Marak won a convincing victory pushing the Congress candidate and former minister Deborah Marak to the third position, the party is optimistic it can turn the tables on the Congress in Ampati too.

“We will give a tough fight to ensure our candidate triumphs,” said Nihim Shira shortly after announcing the name of Clement Momin.