Tough time for NPP in choosing candidate

Staff Correspondent

Shillong, May 3: The Nationalist Peoples Party (NPP) is having the problem of choosing a candidate for the Ampati constituency, a seat forfeited by the ex-chief Minister and present leader of the opposition in the State Assembly, Mukul Sangma. The NPP is supposed to announce the name of the candidate for the by polls by today or tomorrow, but the surge of aspirants may delay the announcement, stated a senior functionary of party at the office headquarters in Shillong on Thursday.

  “There are seven aspirants for the party ticket so far and it is on the Garo Hills district committee to take a call on the matter,” stated the NPP functionary on condition of anonymity, even as he added that the name of Clement Marak is doing the rounds at this juncture. Clement Marak gave the former Chief Minister a run for his money in 2008 polls from the Ampati seat.  

 With the May 28 bypolls closing in, the NPP leader and spokesman James K Sangma said, “We will give a call very soon,” but he did not mention the likely date”.