SHILLONG, DEC 27: Congress veteran leader and deputy chief minister Roytre C Laloo, who had decided to call it a quit, today said the ruling Congress party would no doubt retain the Jowai seat in the upcoming Assembly polls because the tall claims made by other political parties are just their “wishful thinking”.
Earlier while addressing a meeting entitled “Chihajar Ngooh” to thanked the over 9,000 supporters held at his residence in Chutwakhu, Jowai, the district headquarter of West Jaintia Hills, an emotional Laloo with folded hands broke down in tears as he bid farewell to the people as their longest serving MLA.
The meeting was attended by over 4,000 leaders and supporters from the different villages under the Jowai constituency, who were accommodated in a five-storey under construction building owned by the family of the legislator.
Joined politics in 1983, the senior most political leader from Jaintia Hills region had won the Assembly elections for five times from Jowai constituency. He had also tasted defeat twice out of the seven elections that he had contested in his 35 years of political career.
Laloo also appealed to the people to extend their full support to his candidate Andrew Shullai, also the chief executive member (CEM) of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC), whom he referred to as a fit replacement for contesting from Jowai constituency in the ensuing election.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the deputy chief minister said that the Congress has a better chance as this time it will be a four-cornered contest.
“The chance is for the Congress since it will be a four-cornered contest and I am sure that we will win the seat,” Laloo said while recalling that he had lost in two elections because of straight fight.
Apart from Shullai, the other three candidates includes sitting MDC Moonlight Pariat from the United Democratic Party (UDP), former Congress minister Sniawbhalang Dhar’s brother-in-law Wailad Shylla from the National People’s Party (NPP) and Sing Mulieh from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Asked, Laloo said the other political parties especially the United Democratic Party (UDP) are only wasting their time in making tall claims that they would be able to woo the voters to support them.
“These are all lies and are just wishful thinking to claim that my people (supporters) are joining the UDP because you have seen how loyal they are to the Congress,” he said.
With regards to the BJP and the NPP, the senior Congress leader said, “These are yet to even experience victory since they have never contested from the constituency before so no point of talking about them.”
To a recent claim of the Sniawbhalang Dhar that if the NPP is voted to power, he would ensure that the market will be shifted from Jowai to Wahiajer, Laloo said, “Such statement will help the Congress to easily win the upcoming election from Jowai.”
Responding to a query, Laloo said that he along with Shullai, who is also the president of the Jowai Block Congress Committee (JBCC) have been visiting all the localities to conduct house meetings for seeking people’s support to his decision not to contest anymore and to support Shullai’s candidature.
“Prior to this, both of us have applied for the party ticket but I have already made my stand clear to the chief minister and that the same be allotted to Shullai,” he said while informing that two more rounds of house meetings will be conducted soon as the party is gearing up for upcoming polls, to be held early next year.
Earlier in his speech, Shullai assured the people of the constituency to follow the principles and footsteps of Laloo as a public representative and a political leader with wealth of knowledge and experience.
“In politics I was told that one needs to have a mentor and I am thankful that I have a leader like Laloo whom I would look up to as my political mentor,” he said while appealing to the supporters to also extend the same support that they given Laloo in the seven elections to him in ensuing election.
Asked, Shullai however said that he would continue to be the CEM of the JHADC even if he is contesting the MLA elections. He also claimed that the Congress supporters are in tact.
Earlier, leaders speaking at the meeting also referred Shullai as a lucky man while recalling how he won the 2014 MDC elections by a toss and how he became an executive member (EM), deputy chief executive member and now heading the JHADC as its chief and hope that this will repeat in 2018.
A Congress Mahila leader also accused the NPP candidate of spoiling the youth by giving them money for picnicking and drinking. She also alleged that the BJP and NPP are no different from each other.
Meanwhile, Laloo and Shullai were also seen greeted each other with New Year’s cake during the meeting.
By Our Reporter
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