SHILLONG/ TURA, April 14: From promises of eradicating corruption, bringing in reforms, good governance and administration, political parties and independents alike fighting the GHADC poll battle have thrown it all and all that remains is now the reply of the public which will be all out in the open by Thursday afternoon.
“Thank the people of Garo Hills for the kind of response they have shown for the GHADC elections. The kind of crowd that has come to our meetings indicates that people are really looking forward to a change which will be brought about by the NPP,” senior NPP leader James Sangma said.
Talking about the party’s expectations, he said, “Our expectations are very positive and we should be able to touch a figure of 18 to 19 seats.”
“We are expecting a minimum of 14 seats and the contest is mainly with the NPP,” says a Congress leader who contested the polls from West Garo Hills.
The UDP on the other hand is waiting to open its account this time but is apprehensive of the role of money play.
“We are waiting for the big day but our only apprehension is the money factor but if all goes well we are going to get around 5-6 seats. Even if we get 2-3 it would be enough since we have not had MLAs and MDCs from the region for a long time,” said UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh.
Stating that the UDP has been able to make inroads in the Garo Hills region, Mawthoh said, “We are hopeful to get seats and going to be a part of the new Executive Committee. The GHADC is in the doldrums and we want to pay a role in its revival.”
The BJP, which has been a frontrunner in raising issues concerning the GHADC, is hopeful of bagging around 5-6 seats and is eyeing to be part of the new EC with the help of Independents.
“We will be winning around 5-6 seats. We are winning in Tura and there are four more seats which we are confident to win. There are Independent candidates who are in line with us so the total for us would be around 12 to 15 seats,” BJP vice president Bernard Marak said.
Meanwhile, political parties and their leaders have begun arriving in the Garo Hills region in anticipation of the results.
Chief Minister and NPP chief Conrad K Sangma arrived in Tura on Wednesday night, in time for counting day.
Former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is already camping in Tura and was visible across several constituencies where he held election rallies to mobilize Congress supporters before polling day.
All four major parties that took part in this election, namely the Congress, NPP, UDP and BJP believe victory is theirs after experiencing a whirlwind campaign that saw one of the most hotly contested polls for an autonomous district council in recent times.