SHILLONG, JUNE 22: Former senior Congress leader Martin M Danggo is all set to seek re-election on a National People’s Party (NPP) ticket in the upcoming bye-election to the Ranikor after the seat fell vacant following his resignation as an MLA yesterday.
“He (Danggo) is now automatically an NPP leader after he has resigned as an MLA and from the Congress party. He would again re-contest on an NPP ticket in the upcoming bye-election for Ranikor seat,” Danggo’s frontman Kitboklang Nongrem told reporters here on Friday.
He said that he has been authorized by the former legislator to speak on his behalf.
Nongrem, who was a former president of the District Congress Committee (DCC), South West Khasi Hills, also expressed confidence that the former MLA will no doubt be able to retain the Ranikor seat.
“We are very sure that he will win because we are already prepared to face the bye-election and ensure he comes back,” he said.
Danggo decided to quit as a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly after the chief minister Conrad K Sangma assured that the MDA government would upgrade the Ranikor administrative unit into a full-fledged Civil Sub-division, which has been long pending.
Moreover, he said the former MLA had won five consecutive times from Ranikor constituency without the support of the Congress leadership. “Danggo had joined the Congress in 2003 and since then he had fought elections on his own as nobody came to campaign for him and yet he won,” he added.
Nongkrem further claimed that more and more people, who earlier had not supported Danggo, have come forward to lend their support to the former MLA for his bold decision adding there are no more Congress supporters in Ranikor as all have switched to the NPP.
Asked, he said that the former legislator’s decision to resign came after he was given seven days time by his supporters. “His resignation was based on our request after the assurance made by the chief minister,” he said.
Stating that they have nothing against the Congress, Nongkrem however said that both the MLA and constituency have been neglected by the party when it was in power.
“The neglect attitude shown by the past government under leadership of Mukul Sangma towards the demand for creation of a civil sub-division since 2007 has compelled us to switch over to another party. The Congress also neglected Danggo being a senior leader as he was not given cabinet berth for so long,” he said.
As to what made the former legislator to resign before the inauguration of the civil sub-division, Nongrem however said, “Because the chief minister had already assured that it will be inaugurated on July 10.”
He also denied allegations that Danggo had earlier postponed his move to resign as MLA because he was busy bargaining for a cabinet rank in the MDA government. “That is not true but he resigned in order to ensure the long aspiration of the people of the constituency is fulfilled,” he said.
Earlier, the United Democratic Party (UDP) Ranikor Circle had threatened to join the opposition Congress to give a tough fight to Danggo in the upcoming bye-election.
On this, Nongrem said that they would welcome anybody to contest the bye-election as they are ready to ensure Danggo retains his seat from Ranikor constituency.
By Our Reporter
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