Defeat always brings out the worst in people especially when they nurture ambitions of victory. The defeat of Congress candidate from Williamnagar, Deborah Marak has stirred up a hornet’s nest in the Congress Party with Deborah and her party affiliates blaming former Chief Minister and present Leader of Opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma. Deborah Marak has also blamed a few other Congressmen of campaigning for a rebel Independent rebel candidate. The death of NCP candidate Jonathone Sangma in a bomb blast during the campaign period has had its repercussions. In the 2013 elections too Jonathone Sangma has actually filed an FIR alleging that Deborah Marak was using the GNLA to intimidate him via posters warning voters not to vote for him. On November 4, 2013, police had charge-sheeted Deborah Marak and the chief organising secretary of the Williamnagar Congress committee and President of the Block Youth Congress, Tennydard Marak. The police said they had evidence against Deborah who had used the GNLA in the last phase of the election to intimidate the electorate to vote for her. The then SP of East Garo Hill, Davies Marak had said that the GNLA cadres had also gone from village to village serving the diktat not to vote for Jonathone Sangma to voters. In return Deborah promised to support GNLA in their quest for Garoland. Although Deborah Marak has denied the charges the Court should have pursued the case to its logical end.
In fact this matter is pending in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Williamnagar since 2014. Why this matter has not gained traction is another question. If the court had not dragged its feet on the matter, Jonathone might have still been alive today. The cruel manner in which Jonathone and his supporters were eliminated had created an outrage not only in Williamnagar but across Garo Hills, and Deborah Marak’s defeat could not have been unexpected.
However, this entire episode has created turmoil in the Congress Party and might also effect the Ampati election as party workers adopt adversarial stances.