Mukul justifies selection; forced to contest: NPP

TURA/SHILLONG: Congress candidate for the Tura Lok Sabha seat and former chief minister Mukul Sangma on Wednesday justified his selection as there is a dearth of senior leaders from the North East in Delhi to raise the issues of the tribal people, but the NPP in a pointed jibe, described him as a “hesitant candidate”.
Mukul Sangma was not on the list of aspirants for the party ticket. Former minister Deborah Marak and Youth Congress president Richard Marak were the only two applicants for the Tura seat, but the party leadership eventually decided to nominate the former chief minister to take on NPP’s Agatha Sangma.
Justifying the decision of the party leadership, Mukul Sangma, during a campaign in Garo Hills narrated how his candidature came about.
“My party leadership informed me that senior leaders from the North East, who can take up issues of the tribals, are no longer there in Delhi. The Congress leadership told me that given my years of experience in the state and governance I should join national politics and play a larger role,” said Mukul Sangma as he recalled his years in politics beginning from his first election win in 1993 to becoming a minister from 1998 onwards till his tenure as chief minister for eight long years.
In Shillong, NPP state president WR Kharlukhi said Mukul Sangma was a “hesitant candidate” who initially did not want to contest the elections
“ We all know he was forced to contest the election. He had his own calculations and others from his party too had their own calculations about him,” Kharlukhi told reporters on Wednesday.