Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) legislator from North Shillong, Adelbert Nongrum, on July 17, informed that he will not be contesting from the party in the 2023 Assembly polls.
“I am preparing to contest from another party. It is not that I have ditched KHNAM and I believe my people know (the reason),” Nongrum said.
He, however, did not divulge from which party he will contest.
The North Shillong legislator said that the people of his constituency understand that he is doing so because the situation demands it.
He said that he will be changing parties without forgetting the promises he made before the people of his constituency.
Although KHNAM was merged with the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 2011, a faction, which included Nongrum, remained.
He was twice elected as Member of District Council of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, first in 2009 and again in 2014.
Nongrum was elected as a legislator from North Shillong in 2018.
It may be mentioned that Nongrum has differences with party colleague and former leader Pyndapborthiaw Saibon.
There has been a tug of war between Nongrum and Saibon over the party leadership issue.
Saibon had accused Nongrum of forcefully claiming the post of president and had asked the legislator to produce the letter issued by the Election Commission of India recognising him as the president of KHNAM.
According to Saibon, the High Court of Meghalaya had urged the ECI to examine the conflict within the party in detail.
Saibon had stated that the ECI had sent its last letter to him as well as Nongrum on November 20, 2020, to amicably resolve the crisis between themselves.
Saibon also maintained that he was unanimously elected president while Nongrum was elected as working president during the party’s general convention on January 27, 2017.
The KHNAM was founded in 2002 by Paul Lyngdoh.
