By Biplab Kr Dey
Tura, Jan 6: With the Lok Sabha elections approaching the fever of the upcoming contest is yet to set temperatures soaring for now though a divided opposition in Tura may just make things easier for a strong NPP and its candidate, Agatha Sangma.
The NPP announced the name of the sitting MP from Tura as its party candidate late last year paving the way for her campaigns that is expected to continue until the dawn of the MP elections. While the party is already making efforts to win the seat, others for now have taken a back seat.
For now there speculations are rife on who the likely candidates will be for the Congress, AITC, BJP among others with no one willing to throw the dice so early despite the advantage they would have if early projections were made.
For the Congress, speculation has been rife over the former Williamnagar MLA, Deborah C Marak and Gambegre MLA, Saleng A Sangma being amongst the front runners for nomination though party sources stated that no application have not been invited by the party as yet. For now, it is unlikely that something will be moved very soon as the party continues its attempt to regain lost ground.
The Congress in the same breath cannot be taken for granted as the recent show in the 2023 Assembly election has shown that the party still packs a punch, despite the shifting of allegiance by party stalwarts to the AITC, including former CM, Mukul Sangma.
On the question of the AITC, party insiders hinted at the fact that the members of the party were unhappy with the way they were defeated in the 2023 elections. Many felt they were literally thrown under the bus towards the end of the campaign as no real support was provided to those contesting by the party leadership from West Bengal.
While Mukul Sangma continues to remain with the AITC for now, he is already being linked to a move either into the BJP or the creation of a new regional party that will look to bolster a united opposition. Whether that does happen in the next few months will depend on how seriously the former CM and his colleagues have assuaged the thought.
For now party sources are silent on whether they would field a candidate for the upcoming elections or provide support to anyone in the fight against the NPP. Earlier, the names of former Rangsakon MLA, Zenith Sangma was being taken as a possible candidate for the AITC though everyone needs to hold their horses until the leaders of the party take a move in the coming weeks or months.
For the BJP, the name of Tura MDC, Bernard Marak has been doing the rounds locally though there has been no indication from the party over their eagerness to contest. Newly crowned party president, Rikman Momin has expressed happiness at the functioning of the party and will continue their efforts to break the voodoo by providing an opening for the BJP in Garo Hills though that may not happen in the coming Lok Sabha election.
Rikman had contested the 2019 election as a BJP candidate while garnering good support for the party despite lacking visibility.
The Tura seat has remained a bastion of the NPP since the 1980s with former Lok Sabha Speaker, PA Sangma making the seat his own. His children have kept the tradition growing with Agatha looking the front runner for the seat once again. It has to be remembered that in the 2023 Assembly elections, the NPP not only beat anti-incumbency but literally swept the polls. A repeat of the same cannot be ruled out unless the opposition pulls a veritable rabbit out of the hat.