Bypoll: BJP likely to name candidate within this week

SHILLONG, Oct 15: With the announcement of the Gambegre by-poll date, the State BJP has sprung into action and is expected to declare its candidate by the end of this week.
“We will announce (the candidate) in a few days. We are sending the names to Delhi for approval,” said State BJP chief spokesperson, M Kharkrang.
When asked about the number of applicants, he said, “We are calling for applications now, and by tomorrow or the day after, we should have a clearer picture.”
Meanwhile, BJP vice president and one of the applicants, Bernard N Marak, said, “I believe the decision will be made by this week as we are still holding meetings. I am one of the applicants, but I don’t know how many others have applied. Most likely, the decision will be finalised this week.”
When pointed out that the State BJP has a history of delayed candidate declarations, Marak responded, “This time, I think things will move faster. We have a new Prabhari (in-charge) who is very active, and our state president is also taking the initiative to speed things up.”
Earlier, some State BJP leaders had expressed concerns that late declarations create difficulties for candidates in preparing and visiting all areas.
Speaking about the upcoming bypoll, Marak said, “This election is very important for us. We are facing two candidates backed by prominent figures: the TMC candidate is the sister-in-law of former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, and the NPP candidate is the wife of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.”
“This will be a battle of the giants, and we hope the tide turns in BJP’s favor. We will be taking a different approach this time,” he added.
He further noted, “Since this is a tribal constituency, the dynamics will be different. It might be challenging for us, but we are confident that we will make a significant impact. We are keeping our fingers crossed and will do our best to secure a good percentage of votes.”