TURA, March 19: A sitting MDC representing Betasing constituency in South West Garo Hills district was among three candidates to call it quits on Friday and withdraw from the ensuing April 12th elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous district Council (GHADC), on the last day for withdrawal from the contest.
Betasing MDC Nripendra Koch, who was elected to the district council in 2015 on a Congress candidate withdrew his candidature from his sitting constituency taking his supporters by surprise. He had been denied a Congress ticket to recontest and had filed his nomination as an Independent, last week.
Reportedly miffed with Nripendra Koch for aligning with the ruling NPP during the council turmoil, last year, the Congress decided to replace him with a new face, Sanjay Koch, as the party candidate for this election.
With the departure of Koch from the contest, for the first time in recent times, there will be three sitting MDCs who have given the election contest a pass. Tura Independent MDC Rupert M Sangma and Batabari MDC Mark Goera B Marak (Independent) have also dropped out of the fray.
Besides Koch, another Independent candidate and the only non-tribal candidate to withdraw from the race was Abdus Satter from Zikzak constituency which comprises Mahendraganj border belt where a sizable non-tribal population dwells.
The third candidate to drop out of the fray was Garo National Candidate (GNC) candidate John Pillar A Sangma who withdrew from the contest for Raksamgre constituency where its sitting NPP MLA Benedic R Marak is also contesting the council polls against several other candidates, including the main opposition Congress.
With the departure of the three candidates the final figure stands at 182 candidates vying for 29 directly elected MDC constituencies in the five districts of Garo Hills.
The largest number of candidates remain 89 (after 1 withdrawal) in West Garo Hills which is host to 13 MDC constituencies, East Garo Hills 16 candidates for 3 seats, North Garo Hills 23 contestants for 4 seats, South Garo Hills 32 candidates for 5 seats and South West Garo Hills 22 candidates, after withdrawal by the two Independent candidates.
With the completion of the nomination scrutiny and withdrawal process, the campaign has now begun in full swing for political parties and candidates as they try to woo the electorate ahead of the April 12 polls.