UDP announces candidate for Rajabala seat, extends support to NPP candidate

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 6, 2021

United Democratic Party (UDP) on Wednesday announced its candidate for the bye-election to the Rajabala Assembly seat even as it decided to extend full support to National People’s Party (NPP) candidate Pyniaid Sing Syiem for the Mawryngkneng bypoll, slated for October 30.

Addressing media persons, UDP chief and Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh said that Ashahel D Shira will be the official candidate of the party for the Rajabala bye-election. 

Shira is the sitting GHADC member from Batabari constituency and was the former Rajabala legislator during 2013-2018. He quit the Congress and joined the UDP ahead of the bypoll. Shira was welcomed to the party on Tuesday night.

He said that the party had already declared Eugeneson Lyngdoh, a football icon, as its candidate for retaining the Mawphlang seat , which was represented by its associate member and Independent MLA Syntar Klas Sunn.  

Lyngdoh however informed that the party has decided not to field candidate from Mawryngkneng constituency.

“This is because the circle leaders of the party have suggested that this time they will not field any candidate and that they would like to extend their support as a party to Pyniaid Sing Syiem, who is the sitting MDC and NPP candidate. As the party at the state level, we have endorsed the decision taken at the circle level and therefore announce that we will not be putting any candidate from Mawryngkneng and that support will be extended to Syiem,” he said.  

Lyngdoh said that the decision to support Syiem was because of the different issues and different development activities within the constituencies.

When asked, the UDP chief however denied that Syiem is a common candidate of the MDA and said, “I will not say that because we don’t have any kind of understanding at the state level as far as that part is concerned but our support will for him (Syiem).”

He also said that as far as the decision pertaining to Mawryngkneng and Mawphlang is concerned, it was not only taken at the party level but also with the consent of the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) partner which is the Hill State People’s Party (HSPDP). He added that the HSPDP has also endorsed the candidatures for the two constituencies – Mawphlang and Rajabala. 

To another query, Lyngdoh claimed that the UDP has been able to make inroads in as far as the Garo Hills region is concerned. 

“In fact we don’t expect the kind of vote bank that we got in the last election was very encouraging for us that Garo Hills is also one area where we can take part in the coming elections. This is one election that we felt that by getting the right candidate for the right constituency, we will definitely take a call,” he said. 

Expressing confidence that the party will win from both the seats, the UDP president said that the party has done proper analyss for the Rajabala constituency. “We felt that our official candidate Ashahiel D Shira will definitely win this election. This is the feedback and inputs we got from the ground,” he said.

He said similarly, the party is very confident that Eugeneson Lyngdoh will sail through frm Mawphlang constituency.

“We are confident (to win). In fact we decided to accept his candidature based on some parameters…as i said it is not just sympathy but it is also from the candidate, so we have very strong candidate and he is a very young, very dynamic… i dont see any reason why we will not sail through,” he said. 

Lyngdoh also reminded, “It is the people of that constituency who had gone and met him and convinced him that he should contest it is not just from the family side- well at the end of the day it is the consent from all sides they had taken the decision and we also feel that he is the right candidate for us and Mawphlang constituency.”

On NPP’s decision to field sitting MDC from Mawphlang Lamphrang Blah, the UDP chief said the NPP will definitely like to say that their candidate will win the election. “But we also would like to assure that we will definitely work very hard for our candidate Eugeneson from Mawphlang constituency and ensure he sails through,” he said.

Lyngdoh further admitted that the sympathy wave will have an impact to some extent. “However, both sympathy and the candidate matters alot,”he stated.