Tura, April 14: The father of Indian mathematics and astronomy, Aryabhata, who revolutionized the path of arithmetic, algebra and trigonometry as early as the years 476-550 proved to the world that numbers don’t lie.
Fast forward to modern day era 2024 and the TMC and its candidate Zenith M Sangma believes numbers won’t lie this time either as they prepare to take on NPP’s Agatha Sangma and Congress’ Saleng A Sangma, besides a lone independent Labenn Ch Marak.
Crunching numbers before crowds at several election rallies, the All India Trinamool Congress candidate believes this time the vote figures are heavily stacked against both his opponents from the NPP and the Congress.
Zenith is drawing comfort from the results of last year’s Meghalaya Assembly elections in the 24 assembly segments of Garo Hills where his party came second, although a mile in distance, to push the Congress further down the political ranks.
“The total vote share of the Congress in last year’s elections in Garo Hills was a measly 65,000 whereas our TMC garnered one lakh ninety five thousand votes. So who is more formidable to challenge the NPP?” questioned Zenith Sangma during his election rally in North Garo Hills Resubelpara-Mendipathar region this week.
Zenith is of the opinion that any party that manages to garner two lakh fifty thousand votes will be able to swing the Tura seat in its favour and strongly believes the TMC is in a better position to reach that.
Except that the Congress is playing spoilsport to its plans by also going on a vigorous campaign all over the region.
The TMC blames the Congress for attempts to stall their drive starting with the collapse in negotiations over seat sharing for Meghalaya.
“Our intention was to contest Tura and leave Shillong for Congress because here we had a bigger presence while over there it was the Congress. But even as discussions were ongoing the Congress in Meghalaya quickly announced Saleng as candidate for Tura. The Congress in the state is working at the behest of the NPP,” accuses Zenith Sangma.
BJP votes to be crucial for Tura
As the BJP sits out this election in Meghalaya, making way for the NPP to contest both Tura and Shillong seats, the decision of the party supporters and voters are going to be crucial for the contestants.
The BJP leadership in New Delhi had issued a directive asking its mandals and workers to campaign and vote for NPP’s Agatha Sangma in Tura and M Ampareen Lyngdoh in Shillong.
To iron out any possible creases, NPP president and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma even met with BJP state leaders and party workers at Shillong and Tura.
But not every saffron inclined voter is going to fall in line. And this is what the TMC and the Congress is keen to pounce upon.
“The BJP vote share was 90,000 in the last election and many supporters are angry with the decision to give away their position to the NPP. Over 60 percent of the BJP voters will go against the party direction to vote for NPP and many are already coming to us,” claims TMC candidate Zenith Sangma.
If only this was to be true, then the TMC could have been in an advanced celebratory mood, except that every election in the past has proven no one is a winner until the last vote has been counted.
