By Albert Thyrniang
South Tura will be voting for their MLA today, August 23. This will be a historical election since one of the candidates is already the Chief Minister of Meghalaya. Four candidates are in the fray for this all important election. Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma from the NPP, Charlotte W Momin of the Congress, John Leslee K Sangma and Chris Kabul A Sangma (the last two are independent candidates) complete the list. Campaigns, ever since the EC announced the date for South Tura election on July 23, have been low-key. Street corner meetings and house to house campaigns were favoured methods for the contestants.
Though subdued the campaign journey witnessed quite a few controversies. Former ANVC-B chairman Bernard Rimpu N Marak accused former legislator John Leslee K Sangma of misappropriation of funds under SUWP projects and alleged that beneficiaries are mainly his close aides and the work remains incomplete. The former MLA who was forced to forfeit his security deposit in the last election robustly denied all allegations of funds misappropriation stating that projects under SUWP were not under his jurisdiction and threatened the former rebel chief of legal action for defamation.
The independent candidate, who resigned from NCP to fight the election was also show- caused by the Election Commission for allegedly indulging in inflammatory speeches against Agatha Sangma and her late father PA Sangma, calling him a Hindu convert during one of his campaigns for the by-election. The aspirant who lost to Agatha in the February election denied all allegations made by his adversary, the NPP. A few days later it was his turn to petition the EC that the Chief Minister and his brother James Sangma violated the model code of conduct by campaigning beyond permissible hours and for promising more funds for a road when the funds for its construction had already been sanctioned.
The election to the 51 – South Tura (ST) Constituency is necessitated by the resignation of Agatha Sangma who ‘sacrificed’ her seat for her elder brother Conrad Sangma. Conrad who is currently Member, Lok Sabha has to win the seat to retain his chief ministerial status. Hence it is important that he wins this crucial election. If not his government will collapse and probably the Congress will lead the new coalition government under whatever name. Political equations will completely change. Needless to say therefore that this election is the most crucial for the NPP. It is critical also for the Congress because if its candidate upsets the formidable CM, the old grand party will have a shot at power, yet again.
Before Agatha resigned, Conrad Sangma and the Garo Hills NPP think tank had done its homework. One of the smart moves was to convince former legislator Billy Kid A Sangma, who was a close runner up to Agatha in the last election, to not only opt out of the race but to support the candidature of the NPP boss. The BJP member actively moved from door to door encouraging the electorate to vote for the Conrad Sangma ‘for the sake of development’. It may also be noted that the other South Tura political candidates, Bernard Rimpu N Marak and Jingjang Marak also opted out of the race this time around. The former publicly pledged his support to the NPP National President. Whether the support was voluntary or the NPP approached him for the move, one cannot confirm. Whether or not the decision will benefit the NPP candidate will only be known after analysing the results, post August 25.
The Conrad Sangma has had to clarify his ‘Reservation and Bangladeshi’ controversial remarks everywhere and every time he campaigned. His rivals, former Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma who aggressively campaigned for the Congress candidate, Charlotte W Momin and the independent candidate John Lesley pounced on the statement of the Chief Minister in the Assembly that the Reservation Policy does not include quota in technical, medical and engineering studies courses. His opponents were also quick to take advantage of the proposal that Bangladeshi labourers could be given work permit in the state. They interpreted it as an open invitation to influx. Conrad Sangma on his part, pointed out that work permit to Bangladeshis was a mere suggestion; he vehemently clarified that he would not allow the current Reservation Policy to be vitiated.
There is also a fight on the ideological front. The Congress and other candidates point to the nexus between the NPP and the BJP. They say the close links between the two is evident by now. The BJP supported the NPP in the Ampati by-election in May. The saffron party has also not put up candidate against the NPP in Ranikor, the by-election of which will also take place simultaneously with the South Tura one. Anti- NPP candidates still remind the citizens of the euphoria that the BJP created at the swearing in ceremony of the new CM in March this year though the party won just two seats. The venue for the swearing-in ceremony was adorned with saffron colour; the BJP flags fluttered in the Shillong streets. These clearly show that the NPP is under the control of the communal party, they allege. They also point to the dangers of right wing ideology in the state if the BJP is allowed to spread its wings in Meghalaya.
There is one woman among the four candidates and she is a Congress candidate. This too might be seen as somewhat controversial. Many allege it is a game played by the Congress to score brownie points. In the last election the NPP urged the voters, particularly women and women’s groups to vote for Agatha Sangma. Now the Congress insists that since in the last election a woman was elected, this time also a woman should represent the constituency. Whether this strategy will succeed or not remains to be seen.
As always, all the candidates speak of development in their campaigns. If elected they will ensure over- all development was the constant refrain. This is a stereotypical catch-phrase and may not mean anything. Since no candidate has specifically identified (at least I am not aware of them) what developmental work they intend to take up in South Tura if elected, let me name a few. Any development work also has to include North Tura because you cannot separate the town into two in terms of development. Moreover, the representatives of North and South Tura need to work in tandem to ensure development of this hilly municipal town which is the cultural, administrative, political, business, educational and religious centre of Garo Hills.
Roads need immediate attention. The Paikan-Tura National High Way has become narrower and narrower from Rongram (15 km) as one approaches Tura. Before Rongram the highway is a two lane road but after Rongram it becomes a single-lane one. Why? The roads in Tura town are nowhere comparable to Shillong Roads. Even in the heart of Tura you don’t see a first class road. In all localities roads are in poor condition. There is no proper drainage system. The roads have remained the same as they were 25-30 years ago when I first saw Tura.
Acute water scarcity needs resolution. Come January, February, March and April you will see the crisis. Makeshift tankers ply in all directions of the town. While private tankers ferry water you also see PHE water flowing out of broken pipes arranged haphazardly. While owners of private tankers (probably in collusion with some PHE officials) make quick and big bucks the general public suffer immensely due to severe water shortage for three to four months in winter and spring every year.
Sports lovers wonder why there is such a lack of sports infrastructure in the second largest town in the state. The de facto capital of Garo Hills has hardly any sporting facility. As football is by far the most popular sport, footballers and football enthusiasts are surprised that there is not even a single artificial turf here while Shillong has at least three, Mawkyrwat one, Nongstoin one and Jowai one. The Dikki Bandi stadium (formerly known as MP stadium) is in such a bad condition, with zero maintenance, so much so that neither football nor other athletic events can be seriously organised. And why on earth should a world class stadium be built in Ampati. For all intents and purposes it should have been built in Tura. Politics got the better of other considerations. Really unfortunate!
On 23rd the 30,440 voters of South Tura will decide not only the fate of the four candidates but the Government of the state itself. Will South Tura accept Conrad K Sangma as Chief Minister of Meghalaya or will it reject him? Will the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) government carry on with its ruling streak or are its days counted? Will the result be on expected lines or will there be surprises? Whatever be the case South Tura will make history.