GUWAHATI: Former legislator, Billy Kid A. Sangma has predicted that there might not be any BJP candidate selected for the Tura Lok Sabha seat which is set for a “clash of the titans” on April 11.
A prestigious seat, Tura will see former Meghalaya chief minister, Mukul Sangma of Congress take on former Union Minister and MLA, Agatha K. Sangma of National People’s Party.
“I do not think that the party high command will field anyone for the Tura Lok Sabha seat as there is no high profile candidate from the party,” Billy Kid, who had contested on a BJP ticket but lost to Agatha in the Assembly polls last year, told The Shillong Times from Kharkutta on Monday.
Meghalaya chief minister and NPP president, Conrad K Sangma, began the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign from Adokgre in Kharkutta on Monday.
The Meghalaya BJP had earlier this month forwarded four names for the Tura seat to the party’s central team. They are Digross D Shira (who had contested from Mendipathar in the last Assamebly elections), Rikman G Momin (candidate from Rongjeng), KC Boro (candidate from Tikrikilla) and Thomas Marak (candidate from Songsak).
“They had also lost the Assembly elections last year and were placed last in the vote tally,” the BJP leader said, hinting that the party would ultimately consider the winnability factor.
The BJP high command is yet to select the candidate also for the Shillong seat, which will see a fight primarily between Congress’ Vincent Pala, who is eyeing a third straight term, and Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) consensus candidate, Jemino Mawthoh of United Democratic Party.
BJP is one of the allies in the MDA government in Meghalaya and Opposition Congress has criticized the saffron party’s association with the MDA partners despite its decision to go solo in both the seats.
It may be noted that a section of disgruntled BJP leaders and members have quit the party in East Garo Hills apparently in the wake of delay in the issue of tickets and uncertainty over the selection of candidates.