TURA, April 15: The GHADC election results have thrown all expectations to the wind with a shock defeat for the ruling NPP by a resurgent opposition Congress, as voters have shown the door to most sitting MDCs in a fractured verdict.
Although Congress emerged as the single largest party, the NPP-combine is likely to enjoy slight advantage in forging a coalition with like-minded forces.
The Congress with 12 seats, rival NPP with 11 seats, BJP-2, GNC-1 and Independents-3 have left formation of a new executive committee in the GHADC shaky given that the majority mark of 15 is required. It has also opened the door for backroom maneuvers and lobbying by the two major parties as they try to woo the Independents and smaller parties.
The results have clearly come as a shocker to the fancied NPP while it turned out to be a delight for the Congress and to a lesser extent the BJP.
who defeated GHADC CEM Dipul R Marak from
Rochonpara. (ST)
The biggest setback for the ruling NPP-led alliance occurred in the prestigious Tura seat where BJP candidate Bernard N Marak defeated both the Congress and the NPP and five other candidates to secure a historic win for the saffron party for the first time in the most important constituency of Garo Hills. Bernard defeated NPP’s Semford B Marak by 545 votes.
All top NPP MDCs, including many others from the opposition Congress, fell like ninepins as the people of Garo Hills voted out the old guard in favour of new faces in almost all constituencies.
CEM of the outgoing NPP-led Executive Committee, Dipul R Marak, was defeated by an Independent candidate Arbinstone Marak in his bastion of Rochonpara.
Similar fate awaited the Chairman of the GHADC Denang T Sangma in Williamnagar where he was defeated by a young Congress candidate Alphonsush R Marak by a considerable margin of 1,100 votes.
The regional Garo National Council, which had three MDCs in the outgoing Council, managed to grab a lone seat with student leader Nikman Ch Marak winning from Rongrikimgre constituency of Chokpot.
Another regional party and MDA ally United Democratic Party drew a blank for the second consecutive time in the GHADC elections.
Interestingly, the BJP fared much better than the GNC or the UDP as they snatched the seats of Tura and Barengapara (Dalu) in the border belt. While it was Bernard Marak in Tura, in Barengapara it was long time BJP worker Promod Koch who defeated his nearest rival from the Congress by 487 votes.
Except for sitting MDC Sadhia Rani M Sangma of the Congress, none of the other women candidates came out victorious though Independent candidate Ruth Tamerah A Sangma gave a tough fight to Congress candidate Ashahel D Shira losing by 868 votes in Batabari.
Sadhia Rani defeated her nearest rival Sanjip T Sangma of the NPP by a comfortable margin of 2,431 votes.