SHILLONG: Former chief minister and opposition leader Mukul Sangma has asserted that he has now shifted his focus to Songsak, a constituency which has been abandoned for long.
After the Ampati by-poll, Sangma said the reason behind vacating Ampati seat was that he has nurtured and groomed the constituency and now he has shifted his responsibility to Songsak, “which was left abandoned since the inception of the state”.
Admitting that the task ahead is difficult, Sangma said he has taken the responsibility of Songsak to transform it socio-economically.
Sangma had won the February 27 Assembly polls from Songsak and Ampati. Later, he decided to retain Songsak to pave way for her daughter, Miani D Shira, to contest the elections from Ampati.
The constituency in South West Garo Hills, which has received unprecedented attention from all the political parties and leaders, saw a high voltage campaign from every political leader in the state who made their best efforts to woo voters.
Meanwhile, Sangma termed the NPP-led government as an “ad hoc government” while refusing to reveal the plan of action if the Congress wins the Ampati by-poll which would make the party the single largest in the state.
“The present government is an ad hoc one because the chief minister is yet to be elected as a member of the House. He is still a member of Parliament. I don’t know why he did not choose to contest from this seat when it was vacated,” Sangma said.
Responding to a query, the CLP leader said the timing of his decision to quit Ampati was correct to pave the way for a new leader to serve the people who have stood firm behind him and the party all these years.
“Politics in Meghalaya has always been different from other states. It is a state which has been subjected to a lot of instability. Therefore, running a government in Meghalaya is not a matter of joke,” he added.
