By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 26: The BJP has opposed the state government’s reported move to again defer the district council elections.
There are reports that the government is looking to extend the terms of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council by another six months.
BJP spokesperson M Kharkrang told reporters on Monday that such unnecessary extensions should be avoided. He said people gave their mandate in 2019 for five years and they would like to change their representatives in many constituencies.
“Why does the government not allow the voters to exercise their franchise?” Kharkrang asked.
Stating that extensions are not a good sign and elections should not be deferred unless there is a very good reason, he questioned the ongoing delimitation exercise saying it was supposed to be completed by this September.
“What is the guarantee that you will finish the delimitation exercise? You cannot just keep on extending the term of the House,” he said.
The District Council Affairs Department is likely to place the proposal of extending the terms of the two councils before the Cabinet.
To a query, Kharkrang said the BJP would not mind pitching in the district council elections if its members are willing to contest.
He dismissed the Congress’ charge that the BJP is using the NPP to wipe out the grand old party from Meghalaya.
After three Congress MLAs had joined the NPP, party’s state chief Vincent H Pala had alleged the NPP was being tutored by the BJP to wipe out the Congress in Meghalaya like what it is doing in other states.
Reacting to Pala’s remarks, Kharkrang said it will be foolish to think the BJP is using the NPP to destroy the Congress in the state.
“If we wanted MLAs to leave the Congress, we would have made sure they joined the BJP and not the NPP,” he said, adding that there is no connection between the BJP and the NPP as both are separate entities.
Kharkrang also said that the BJP is keen on contesting the upcoming bye-elections to the Gambegre Assembly seat. The BJP had decided against contesting the last Lok Sabha elections in Meghalaya and instead support the NPP.
“This time, we have made it clear to the central leadership that we want to contest the polls in the Gambegre seat,” Kharkrang said.
He added that the party is waiting for the central leadership to ask for the probable list of candidates for the bypoll.
Pyngrope demands early ADC polls
TMC state president Charles Pyngrope has asked the government to either accept or reject the amendment rules passed by both KHADC and JHADC for delimitation of the constituencies and announce the elections at the earliest.
“The government has to hold the elections either under the new delimited constituencies or as per the existing list of constituencies since the provisions laid down in the Sixth Schedule does not permit extension of the term of the two councils beyond one year,” Pyngrope told The Shillong Times.
According to him, there is no justification in delaying the polls and the District Council Affairs (DCA) should initiate the exercise for holding the elections at the earliest.
Asked if it is justified for the government to extend the term of the councils by another six months, he said that elections should be held every five years under normal circumstances.