TURA:
All hopes of a tight-cornered fight with possible defections came to a naught for the Trinamool Congress-led Opposition in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council when they not only lost the election to the chairman’s post but also an MDC to the ruling NPP side.
BJP MDC from Dalu, Promod Koch, who had sided with former CEM Benedic R Marak when the latter was fighting for his survival in the post in January and February, even going to the extent of crossing over to the opposition Trinamool camp, shocked the opposition benches when he cast his vote for the NPP candidate today.
“He (Promod) expressed his desire to be part of our alliance and we welcomed him,” said senior NPP MDC Albinush R Marak, who is expected to be the next CEM of the council, while speaking to The Meghalayan.
The ruling NPP alliance appears to have had secured Promod Koch’s commitment to the alliance, a day before the crucial chairman election, and with a nominated member from their side helped further to add to their kitty.
Promod Koch won from Dalu in last year’s council polls despite a strong showing from the NPP and the Congress. He was one of the two BJP MDCs to be elected to the district council, the other being Bernard N Marak from the prestigious Tura MDC seat.
During formation of the new Executive Committee in the GHADC, last year, Bernard Marak had rebelled and refused to join the NPP alliance putting the EC formation in jeopardy given the slender margin between the ruling NPP and the then Congress, whose MDCs later merged with the Trinamool Congress.
It was after Promod Koch broke ranks with his colleague Bernard and switched sides to lend support that the NPP alliance managed to proceed with the EC formation.
He was rewarded with a cabinet berth- an Executive Member in the GHADC.