By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 8: The BJP will contest the bye-election to the Gambegre Assembly seat.
BJP state president Rikman G Momin said he has already conveyed to the party’s central leaders that the state unit wants to contest the bypoll and they also mooted this idea.
The BJP in the state did not contest the last Lok Sabha elections and instead, extended its support to the NPP. This understanding was believed to have cost the NPP dear, especially in the Tura seat.
Momin, however, was not ready to accept it. He said the BJP had backed the NPP responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to support the NDA partners.
To a query, he said the BJP-NPP alliance was only for the Lok Sabha elections and not for Assembly or district council polls.
Stating that the BJP will contest the bye-election on its own, he said the party does not need the support of the NPP.
Momin threw his weight behind party vice president Bernard Marak for a ticket for the bye-election to Gambegre. He said Marak is working hard and the latter should get the ticket.
The BJP has not yet prepared the issues on which it plans to contest the polls but alleged under-development of the constituency is likely to be one of its poll planks.
“How can I blame the former MLA as he was an independent MLA earlier?” Momin said.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson M Kharkrang denied reports of rift in the party. Recently, the leaders from Garo Hills expressed resentment against the party president.
It may be mentioned that BJP Meghalaya in-charge M Chuba Ao was replaced recently after some complaints were allegedly made against him by some leaders from Garo Hills. “There is no rift in the party. Some people are unhappy and wanted to leave the party and they are creating all this confusion,” Kharkrang said while assuring that all the members of the party are together and whenever any misunderstanding crops up, it is settled within the four walls of the party.