By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 28: The upcoming Assembly bypoll to the vacant Gambegre seat is fast turning out to be an Achilles heel for the National People’s Party as well as the Sangma family with reports of “rift” emerging over the choice of candidate.
While most of the top NPP leadership is keen to award the party ticket to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s wife, Mehtab Chandee, his elder sibling James PK Sangma wants the ticket for himself.
The apparent tussle for the party ticket has forced the NPP to delay announcement of the candidate’s name which was to be done on Thursday. The party is now pushing for a consensus on the candidate’s name among the party leaders and workers before taking a final call.
Conrad, who is also the NPP national president, has aggressively denied any “division” within the family and in the party over the choice of candidate for the Gambegre bye-election.
Reacting to reports that James is unhappy as the party has decided to field Mehtab, Conrad reiterated that there is no question of any division either in the family or in the party.
He said they have met all party leaders and even those whose names are doing the rounds and everyone has assured the party that they will abide by the leadership’s decision.
Informing that the party is presently collecting the ground reports, he said that they will work together as a family and a party for the bypoll which is yet to be announced by the Election Commission.
When he was asked about the coalition partners, the chief minister said there is no problem in the coalition and they have spoken to all the coalition parties.
“All coalition partners have reiterated that they will continue to support the MDA Government and complete the full term,” he said.