NPP confirms Danggo’s candidature for by-poll

SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister and NPP legislator Prestone Tynsong on Friday categorically stated that M.M Danggo will be the party candidate for the Ranikor by-election even as he maintained that the ‘political arrangements’ for a common candidate is only at a nascent stage.
Commenting on the move by the PDF and a section of UDP, BJP and NPP functionaries to come up with a common candidate for the by-poll, Tynsong said, “They have every right to do so. There is no bar on that but our candidate will be M.M Danggo.”
Congress will be a
non-entity in Ranikor
Meanwhile, the NPP has dared the Congress to put up a candidate for the Ranikor by-poll which is likely to be announced shortly.
Speaking to media persons here on Friday, NPP state president W.R Kharlukhi said the Congress will become a non-entity especially in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region of the state and they won’t be able to get a candidate to contest the Ranikor by-poll.
“If they decide to put up a candidate, he/she may lose the security deposit,” a confident Kharlukhi said.
Asked about PDF chief P.N Syiem’s plans to contest the by-polls, Kharlukhi said the NPP (Danggo) and UDP (Pius Marwein) are putting up their candidates for the by-poll and any candidate from the other alliance partners is welcome to contest the by-election.
Maintaining that the coalition is intact, he reiterated that there is no bar on any of the coalition partners to contest the by-election.
On the other hand, senior Congress leader Charles Pyngrope asserted that the party will put up a candidate in Ranikor.
“There is no need to give us a dare. Everyone is privileged to have an opinion in a democracy,” he said, while reacting to the NPP state president’s comments.
The by-election in Ranikor was necessitated after former Congress MLA M.M Danggo resigned from his post to seek re-election from the constituency as an NPP candidate.
While the UDP and NPP have already announced their candidates for the by-election, PDF chief P.N Syiem is projecting himself as the common candidate of the other regional parties.
The final decision on his candidature is likely to be taken next month.