TURA, March 29: Shares of the political oldguard in Garo Hills are going for a premium ahead of the April 19th polls and there seems to be no end in sight to the stock rise as the poll date draws near with parties and leaders trying to outdo one another in the numbers game.
Seeing the opportunity staring at them, politicians are reaching for their cupboards, dusting their old coats with a last minute fitting check, or donning a new one to have their space in the sun.
And they have not been left disappointed.
Two former leaders whose writ once ran across the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council before falling out of favour with the leadership and left in the wilderness have suddenly obtained a fortune cookie and given a fresh leash of life-courtesy the Lok Sabha elections.
On Wednesday, former chief executive member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council and three term MDC from Rochonpara, Dipul R Marak returned to the NPP- a party in which he began his first political innings.
He was welcomed into the party by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma during an election rally in the plain belt region of South Garo Hills.
Dipul Marak joined the ranks of Late Purno A Sangma when he first formed the NCP with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar and later the NPP. He held important positions in the GHADC as an Executive member before being elevated to the top rank of CEM.
Denied a party ticket in the last GHADC elections over widespread allegations of misappropriation of central funds by the then elected MDCs, he crossed over to the BJP but failed to make it past the finish line for both the MDC (Rochonpara) and last year’s MLA elections from Selsella.
His classmate in the same institute, Denang T Sangma from Williamnagar, who together left their parent party for the BJP around the same time in December 2022 had other ideas, though.
Denang joined the opposition Congress on Thursday at his home town of Williamnagar. He had been elected to the GHADC for three consecutive times, at the same time as Dipul Marak, and went on to become CEM and also Chairman of GHADC.
Both Dipul and Denang have pledged the support of their workers and supporters for their respective new parties which will be crucial in any election where every vote counts.
While it is celebration time for the NPP and the Congress with the return of their “prodigal sons”, the same cannot be said of the saffron party- BJP.
From having been denied a contest in the Tura and Shillong seats by their high command, to having been directed to pledge their vote and support for their bitter-sweet alliance partner, the latest setback of losing two prominent leaders to their rivals couldn’t have come at a worst time.
