Campaigning yet to pick up pace in Shillong and Tura

SHILLONG, March 24: With less than a month left before the state goes to polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, the political game in Meghalaya has already been witnessing twists and turns on a daily basis but what is still missing is the intensified campaigning by the political parties.
Most of the party candidates are focusing on rural areas and are holding meetings and rallies there, but Shillong and Tura are yet to get into the election mode and the campaign trail is yet to reach the two biggest towns in the state.
Some political parties said the election campaign in Shillong and Tura would pick up pace only after the end of this month once all the candidates have filed their nominations.
As of now, only NPP candidate Ampareen Lyngdoh and an independent candidate, Peter Shallam, have filed their nominations from the Shillong parliamentary seat.
Congress candidate Vincent H Pala, VPP’s Ricky AJ Syngkon and RDA’s consensus candidate Robertjune Kharjahrin are expected to file their nominations on Tuesday.
In Tura, none of the candidates have filed their nominations.
The NPP has reissued the ticket to sitting Lok Sabha member Agatha Sangma, while the Congress had fielded sitting Gambegre MLA, Saleng A Sangma. The TMC has named former MLA Zenith M Sangma as its candidate. The UDP and the VPP are only focussing on the Shillong seat as they do not have any support base in the Garo Hills. Some independents are also likely to contest the Tura seat.