sohiong, May 10: The United Democratic Party’s Sohiong candidate, Synshar Kupar Lyngdoh said the constituency requires an MLA who is able to raise the issues affecting the state and its people and not a mute spectator in the Assembly.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote on Wednesday, Lyngdoh said the people in Sohiong will not be influenced by money power during elections since they want an MLA who can speak on their behalf.
He said cash played a role in the deferred election but “money cannot play spoilsport” since the people of Sohiong have already made up their minds on who to vote for.
Lyngdoh said he would try to address the issues highlighted by his uncle and former MLA, HDR Lyngdoh, whose sudden demise led to the deferred election in Sohiong. The issues included the implementation of the inner-line permit or ILP, the roster system, and the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
He said understanding complicated issues such as the roster system and the UCC requires intellect. “I strongly feel that I am the right person,” he added.
Lyngdoh said the fight between the UDP and the NPP in Sohiong cannot be termed as a friendly match. “We contested the election to win. There was no friendly match in the electoral battle in Sohiong,” he said.
He also said he was hopeful of cashing in on the sympathy wave for his departed uncle, who represented the constituency for 25 years. “It will not be easy (for the people) to forget him. There is a sympathy wave,” the UDP candidate said.
1,200-vote margin
NPP candidate and former Minister, Samlin Malngiang said that he expects to win the election by a margin of over 1,200 votes.
He, however, said that the opposition will try to bring him down by flagging the lack of development in the constituency.
“But the people have witnessed the work I have done for the overall development of the constituency. I am pretty sure that many of the candidates will fail to get security,” Malngiang said.
He further claimed that the PHC at Weilyngkut was made fully function during his term as an MLA in 2019.
“I have followed up on many pending projects which the previous MLAs could not complete. It is for this reason that the people are looking up to him to represent the constituency for the next five years,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NPP candidate said that his priority will be development of the agricultural and horticultural sector and to generate employment opportunities for the youth.
TMC’s candidate upset with party
TMC candidate from Sohiong Stoding Thabah has expressed disappointment that none of the leaders of the party campaign for him in the election.
“I had expected that few of the leaders of the party will at least attend my last campaign. But none of them had turned up,” Thabah told reporters on Monday.
“I am very upset since I have been campaigning on my own. I will not be able to tell the reason why they were not here. Our leaders can give a better reply to this,” the TMC candidate said.
It is pertinent to note here that the BJP and TMC have not campaign aggressively for their party candidates in the adjourn by-polls to Sohiong Assembly constituency
The BJP fielded Seraph Eric Kharbuki (BJP).
When contacted, TMC state president, Charles Pyngrope said that a few leaders had gone to campaign for its candidate.
According to him, there are very few members of the party in East Khasi Hills. The party president for East Khasi Hills is yet to be elected after former MLA HM Shangpliang resigned. “The post is still lying vacant,” he said.
Similarly, there were less BJP leaders who campaigned for Kharbuki including BJP minister and party MLA, Alexander Laloo Hek.
State BJP president Ernest Mawrie said that some BJP leaders had gone to Sohiong to campaign for Kharbuki. “But yes we have not aggressively campaigned for the party candidate,” he admitted.
He however revealed that there was no intimation to the party leaders on the schedule for the campaign.
‘NPP only a shadow’
Congress candidate, S Osborne Kharjana said that the MDA 2.0 coalition government in the state is in reality being led by the BJP and not the NPP.
“The NPP is only a shadow of the BJP. It is evident from the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the elections that the BJP is leading the government and the main architect of the new coalition government,” Kharjana told reporters on Monday.
According to him, the other partners of the MDA including UDP and HSPDP are also part of the BJP since they are in the same government.
On the regional force, Kharjana said that the regional parties have lost their faces, adding that their agenda was to be part of any government.
“The main ideology of the regional parties was to protect and safeguard the interest of the indigenous population. But now the priority of the regional parties was to be in power even if it has to ally with the national parties like the BJP,” Kharjana said.
He also rued that the incumbent government does not have any policies that target the good of the state.
Kharjana stated that it is an open secret that the MDA 1.0 Government was being run by the Dhar company.