SHILLONG: Campaigning for the April 11 Lok Sabha election to the two seats in the state drew to a close on Tuesday.
The past few days witnessed extensive campaigning by political parties and candidates who left no stone unturned in their effort to woo voters.
The Shillong Times spoke to the state presidents of the major political parties in the state about how their campaign went and how confident they are about the prospects of their parties at the hustings for the two seats of Shillong and Tura.
NPP state president WR Kharlukhi said that he is very satisfied with the preparations of the party and the MDA partners who put their best foot forward to ensure victory of their candidates.
The NPP is supporting the common candidate of MDA, Jemino Mawthoh, from Shillong while in Tura the party has fielded its former MLA Agatha Sangma.
Kharlukhi believes that there is anti-incumbency factor against the sitting Congress MP especially in urban areas of Shillong.
He also said that the party and other partners of the MDA have reached out to the people highlighting what the MDA government has done for the state in the last one year and telling them that they need another mandate in the Lok Sabha election so as to continue the good work.
On the other hand, the state president of the Congress, Celestine Lyngdoh, said that campaigning has been very extensive and the party is confident of winning both the seats.
According to Lyngdoh, during their campaign, people complained to them about the problem of unemployment and the non-availability of daily wage jobs.
“They told us that they don’t have work because many of them were earlier working in coal mines, but now they are forced to stay at home,” Lyngdoh added.
It may be mentioned that the state Congress is banking on its two senior leaders and candidates Vincent Pala and former chief minister Mukul Sangma to win the Shillong and Tura seats respectively.
Meanwhile, the state president of the BJP, Shibun Lyngdoh, said that the party campaigned with full force and reached out to the grassroots to explain about the party and appealed to them to vote in their favour.
He said that the BJP is doing well in Shillong and even in Tura seat.
He added that in 2014 when he had contested the election, the party did not have much of an organisation in the state, but all that has now changed and they are confident of doing well.
“Our issue is only development,” he said.
The party has fielded its MLA Sanbor Shullai in Shillong and Rikman G Momin in Tura.
It’s now over to the more than 19 lakh voters of the state to elect their representatives to Parliament.
