Tura, March 22: Ticket aspirants of the BJP for Tura and Shillong Lok Sabha seats have been dealt a body blow with the party high command announcing its decision against fielding any candidate for both seats, preferring to throw their weight behind Chief minister Conrad K Sangma’s NPP candidates- Agatha K Sangma in Tura and M Ampareen Lyngdoh in Shillong.
The BJP’s National Spokesperson Sambit Patra took to X ( formerly Twitter) to announce that “As per the instructions of the Hon’ble National President of @BJP4India, Shri @JPNadda ji, I am pleased to inform that BJP will extend its support to Lok Sabha Candidates of NPP in both the seats of Meghalaya (Shillong and Tura), to NPF in the Outer Manipur Constituency and to NDPP in Nagaland in the ensuing Parliamentary elections 2024.”
The BJP is a coalition partner in the NPP led MDA 2.0 Government in Meghalaya with its MLA A L Hek holding the position of cabinet minister.
This surprising announcement by the BJP leadership will, no doubt, be soothing to the ears of the NPP leadership and their candidates in the two seats as the opening of another front in the campaign trail has just been eliminated even before the battle has begun.
Agatha will now be taking on the Congress’ Saleng A Sangma and Trinamool’s Zenith Sangma, while Ampareen faces the likes of Vincent Pala of the Congress, the VPP and a two party combined regional alliance candidate.
BJP state president Rikman G Momin said that the decision was taken at an NDA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi today.
“The PM has decided to honor NDA alliance partners and hence this decision,” he said.
Dismissing any talk of dissent from within the party to this surprise announcement, Momin said that the state party will have to abide by the decision of the central leadership.
He informed that a party meeting in regards to this development would be chaired by him on Saturday.
As many as 11 aspirants had lined up for the party ticket- 5 for Shillong and 6 in Tura.
Cabinet minister AL Hek was among the five ticket aspirants for Shillong parliamentary seat, besides advocate Dr Fenela Lyngdoh Nonglait, former state president Ernest Mawrie, BJYM president Mewaker Lyngdoh and Sumitra Laloo.
For Tura Lok Sabha seat, the ticket aspirants included sitting Tura GHADC MDC Bernard N Marak, former MLAs – Winnerson D Sangma and KC Boro, former MDC Boston Marak, Riya Sangma and Thomas Marak.
As far as Tura seat is concerned, the BJP has considerable support in several areas and in the last assembly elections accumulated several thousand votes across multiple constituencies, particularly Tura, Tikrikilla, Raksamgre, Phulbari, Mahendranganj, Ampati, Williamnagar, Baghmara, Songsak, Mendipathar and Dalu.
Its candidates even managed to come second in Tura, Baghmara, Raksamgre and Barengapara ( Dalu) border constituency.
In the GHADC elections it bagged the MDC seats of Dalu by Pramod Koch and Tura by Bernard Marak.
This treasure trove of votes, now up for grabs, will be in the eye of every candidate keen to triumph and walk the corridors of power in Delhi.
