UDP mes Shylla for district council by-polls

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Sept 19: Former KHADC chief Hispreaching Son Shylla will be the United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate from Nongkrem in the forthcoming district council by-elections to be held on December.

The party has also issued direction to the other six constituencies to complete the process of selecting candidates by October during a meeting of the party’s state election committee (SEC) on Monday.

“We have approved the me of HS Shylla as party’s candidate for the by-election from Nongkrem constituency,” UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh told reporters after the meeting.

Shylla, a two-time MLA and two-time MDC, had earlier this year joined the UDP after he claimed that his decision to return to politics again was based on issues concerning the people.

He first contested the election from UDP party and later shifted to the Congress.

UDP-East Khasi Hills District Unit in its meeting in  July had resolved to take the bye-election as a ‘mission Nongkrem’ to ensure the party wins from the constituency, which fell vacant after the resigtion of HSPDP chief Ardent M Basaiawmoit in November last year.

Announcing that the party would be contesting all the seven vacant seats in KHADC and JHADC, Mawthoh informed that October will be the deadline for completing the process for selection of candidates in all the constituencies.

UDP legislator from Sohra Titosstarwell Chyne, however, added that six applicants have applied for party ticket from Sohiong constituency, which fell vacant after former DCA minister HDR Lyngdoh quits the MDC post. “The exercise to come to a consensus candidate is still on at the circle level,” he said while informing that as far as Mawthadraishan constituency is concerned, a report placed before the SEC by MLA Brolding Nongsiej suggested that the process of filizing the candidate will take place at a meeting on September 24.

The bye-election was necessitated after seven MLAs out of eight resigned from the post of MDCs of the KHADC and JHADC following the passage of the Prevention of Disqualification (Members of Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya) (Amendment) Act, 2015, which seeks to end dual posts by the MLAs last year.