Campaign picks up for Meghalaya by-polls

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The campaign to the by-polls in South Tura and Ranikor constituencies scheduled to be held simultaneously on August 23 in the state is slowly picking up pace.

In South Tura, there are four candidates – Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma from the National People’s Party (NPP), Charlotte W Momin of the Congress, former MLA John Leslee K Sangma and Chris Kabul A Sangma will contest as an independents. Both Leslee and Kabul resigned from the NCP and the UDP respectively to contest the polls. In South Tura, the UDP a major ally of the coalition Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) preferred not to put up a candidate since the party had proposed Conrad as the Chief Minister.

However, this is not the case in Ranikor, where former veteran Congress MLA Martin M Danggo who resigned from the party to contest the by-poll from the NPP did not go down well with the allies there. The UDP has set up its own candidate – Pius Marwein who came second in the February 27,2018 polls.

Danggo will also have to be contended with former Mawsynram legislator and People’s Democratic Front (PDF) chief Pynshngain N Syiem. Meanwhile, the Congress has set up former student leader, Jackuish K Sangma. With another Garo candidate in the fray in Ranikor, the Congress is hoping to cut into the vote base of Danggo and spoil his chances.