Meghalaya CM files nomination, says NPP heading for absolute majority

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 4, 2023

Chief Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) national president Conrad K Sangma on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Meghalaya Assembly polls, slated for February 27.

Conrad filed his nomination before the Returning Officer of 51-South Tura and Additional Deputy Commissioner, Saljong R Marak, at Tura.

Prior to the filing of is nomination, the NPP chief accompanied by his wife visited the grave of his late father and former CM, PA Sangma, in Tura, to seek his blessings.

Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Conrad said there is a positive wave for the National People’s Party and the opposition is disintegrating day by day. “Hence, in this political scenario I see the trend that NPP is heading towards getting absolute majority and we are confident that we will get it,” he said.

About the issues based on which the party will fight the elections, he replied, “We are moving ahead with the development work we have done in the last 5 years. And the overall work that has happened in different sectors.. and the fact that the foundation has been laid, it is time to take things forward to the next level… and the continuity is important to ensure that we’ll be able to achieve those goals.”

Also replying to TMC leader Dr Mukul Sangma’s allegation that the NPP Chief is making racial comments, Conrad denied making any racial comments.

“I only thing I said was that TMC is a party that is out of West Bengal and that’s a fact. There is nothing wrong with that,” he said and went on to add, “I have said that it’s (TMC) an outsider party based on the analogy where Madam Mamata Banerjee herself has said in the last West Bengal elections that BJP and other national parties are outside parties. I have said that if the same yardstick is applied to Meghalaya, then with those yardsticks, which Mamata Banerjee has herself mentioned in her speech in elections, then TMC is an outside party. There is nothing racial about that comment.”

Conrad is seeking re-election from South Tura, which he won after being elected as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya in the bye-election for the seat in August 2018. He polled 13,656 votes, and defeated his nearest Congress rival Charlotte W Momin by a margin of over 8,400 votes.

Prior to that, he was the Member of Parliament from Tura (2016–2018). After the passing away of this father Late PA Sangma, on March 4, 2016, who was then the sitting MP from the Tura seat, Conrad contested the by-election from Tura to the Lok Sabha in May 2016, and won by a record margin of 1.92 lakh votes.

He was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya on March 6, 2018.

Mentionably, last date for filing of nomination for Meghalaya Assembly elections 2023 is February 7. The scrutiny of the nominations will be done on February 8 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations if February 10, 2023. The polling is on February 27 and results will be declared on March 2, 2023.