BJP not to contest Tura by-poll

A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, April 26: The BJP will not contest the May 16 Tura Lok Sabha by polls.
The central leadership of the party decided this today even though the state leaders were keen to test the waters before the 2018 Assembly elections. This decision of the party was conveyed by the state president Shibun Lyngdoh. The Garo Hills unit of the party had passed a resolution to contest the by-poll which was left vacant after the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma.
“The central leadership did not want us to contest the elections since the NPP (tiol People’s Party), is an ally in the centre and it felt that we should support the candidature of Conrad Sangma,” Lyngdoh told media persons on Tuesday evening. But the state unit of the party is unsure of the kind of support it is going to render to the NPP candidate.
“We are going to sit in the next few days and chart our course of action,” the state BJP president said. The state BJP president informed that the state unit of the party had sent their opinion to the central leaders in Delhi and also recommended three mes as possible candidates for the bye-polls. Lyngdoh was of the opinion that had the party contested the bye-polls it would have known the base of the party in Garo Hills. “As party president I had visited Garo Hills. We felt if the party had contested the elections more would have join us,” Lyngdoh said. He said that even though the party is not contesting the Tura Lok Sabha by-polls it would however contest all the 24 seats in the 2018 Assembly elections.