TURA:
The National People’s Party (NPP) is going to hold a “mega rally” at its founder Purno A Sangma’s favourite campaign site in Adokgre on January 23 in which all party candidates from Khasi and Jaintia region will join hands with their counterparts from Garo Hills as party supremo and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma launches the election campaign for the February 27 polls.
“It will be the first time that any party in the state will bring together all its candidates from the three regions to one place in Garo Hills for the launch of the campaign. We are optimistic,” said an NPP leader preparing the venue for the upcoming event.
The party is expecting nothing short of 10,000 people to gather at the newly constructed Adokgre (Chenanggre) stadium in North Garo Hills on that day.
Among those expected include deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong, Ampareen Lyngdoh and Manindro Rapsang from the Khasi Hills region, ministers Snawbahlang Dhar and others from the Jaintia Hills, minister James Pangsang K Sangma, Deputy Speaker Timothy D Shira, A T Mondol and others from the Garo Hills side.
The village of Adokgre gained political coverage after the late P A Sangma made it the venue for each of his political campaign for the Lok Sabha elections he contested. He believed Adokgre had a charm that always blessed him with victory and later renamed it as Chenanggre or the place of victory.
His son and chief minister Conrad K Sangma, who emulated his father when he contested the by-election, after P A Sangma’s demise, with a record victory margin in 2016 is hoping for history to repeat itself when he leads his party in the upcoming state assembly polls.