SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong will inaugurate Ranikor civil sub-division on July 10.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was to open the civil sub division but his deputy was entrusted with the job since Sangma will be busy in the city for the NEC meeting.
An official said like other new civil sub-divisions announced by the previous government, a temporary office will be used for the time being.
The event is significant not only for the political ripples that preceded the upgradation of the administrative block but also for the changes that will follow. This is despite Sangma’s vehement denial to add political colour to the efforts of the state government to declare Ranikor as a civil sub-division.
Last month, local MLA Martin M Danggo raked up the “long-pending” demand for civil sub-division and vowed to resign from the Congress the day the government upgrades Ranikor’s status. But the MLA, in a surprise move, resigned much before the civil sub-division was inaugurated.
Now, Danggo will seek re-election from NPP though he will join the party on the day of inauguration. He has already been appointed as the co-chairman of the State Planning Board with A+ status enjoying facilities similar to a Cabinet minister.
Danggo’s move not only unsettled Congress, which despite the loss tried to put up a brave face, but also set in train a series of political events which might end in surprise camaraderie or expected estrangement.
The formation of the civil sub-division also comes as a curse in disguise. While NPP succeeded in staying a few steps ahead of rival Congress, the ruling coalition is in a fix after similar demands from various quarters, which included its own MLAs.
This prompted the chief minister on Thursday to remind leaders raising such demands about the state’s strapped exchequer.
