By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 25: The Meghalaya unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has resolved to contest the upcoming Shillong Parliamentary by-election and will soon send its recommendation to the party’s central leadership for approval.
The party has reportedly nine candidates vying for the Lok Sabha bypoll ticket.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Meghalaya BJP spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang said senior party leaders recently held discussions and reached a consensus on contesting the by-election.
“We had a meeting of senior leaders recently and agreed that we should contest this election. We will send our recommendation to the central leadership to allow us to contest, and we believe they will agree to it,” Kharkrang said.
On Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai being speculated as a possible candidate, Kharkrang said he would be a strong contender if he agreed to enter the fray.
“Shullai has proven himself in his constituency and outside as well. We would be very happy to have him as a candidate, provided he agrees. It cannot be imposed upon him,” he said.
Kharkrang revealed that the party received a few applications from aspiring by-election contestants.
“At the last count during our meeting, there were nine applicants,” he added.
The BJP leader ruled out the possibility of a common candidate among Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) partners for the Shillong by-poll, saying there has been no discussion among the allies on the issue.
“I don’t see any possibility of a common candidate. Neither have we approached other MDA partners, nor have they approached us. I believe all political parties will contest and field their own candidates,” he stated.
On the upcoming Rajya Sabha election scheduled for June 18, Kharkrang said the BJP is yet to deliberate on the matter. He indicated that the party may support a consensus MDA candidate given its limited numerical strength in the 60-member Assembly.
“Rajya Sabha elections may be different because we have only two MLAs. Probably an MDA consensus candidate may come up,” he said.
Asked whether the BJP would support former Home Minister James P.K. Sangma, who is reportedly being considered for the Rajya Sabha seat, Kharkrang said the MDA partners are yet to discuss the matter.
“Let us wait for our allies to call us for discussions,” he said, asserting that the BJP would not support any opposition-backed nominee for the lone Rajya Sabha seat.
