SHILLONG, JUNE 28: Amidst the reported rift in the family, National president of the National People’s Party (NPP) and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met several NPP leaders from Garo Hills including sitting legislators and former legislators at his office chamber at Secretariat.
According to the sources, one of the issues discussed during the meeting was Gambegre by polls.
Earlier today, While addressing a press conference, Sangma has denied that there is any division within the party or within his family over the upcoming bye-election to the Gambegre Assembly seat.
Speaking to Mediapersons on Friday, Conrad Sangma said, “There is no division in the party or division in the family.”
Conrad said that there around 7-8 names that are doing the rounds but he had met and spoken to all of them.
“In fact about couple of days back we have met and in the meeting, everybody and all party leaders, who wants to contest and the names of people whose names are doing the rounds even though they may not want to contest or they may want to contest that is a different issue but their names are doing the rounds. So whoever names was doing the rounds, we have consulted everybody, we have talked with everybody and everybody has confirmed that they are with the party and whatever decision the party takes that will be the final decision and they will abide by that decision,” he said.
“So the party has taken a unanimous decision on this and now the process of giving the ground report from the block level and district level and the regional level is underway and once that process is completed the state committee will recommend accordingly,” he added.
The NPP chief said, “Let me again clarify that there is no question of any kind of division. We are very much clear that we will work together as a family and more importantly as a political party and all the names that are doing the rounds will work together to fight this particular election.”
“There are around 7-8 names but that doesn’t mean all of them are campaigning on the ground but people are taking their names and so all those people we have talked to and all have given me the assurance that whatever party decides they will abide by it,” he stated.
It may be mentioned that there are reports that some of the supporters of NPP at the Gambegre constituency are favouring Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s wife Mehtab Chandee Sangma to contest the Assembly be-election, however, reports also suggest that it has not gone well with chief minister’s brother James Sangma who also is projecting himself as candidate.
According to sources, James Sangma who wanted to contest the by-election has conveyed his unhappiness with the moves to allot a party ticket to Mehtab Chandee Sangma.
According to sources, Several Garo Hills legislators are also of the view that someone outside the family should be given a ticket from Gambegre and James should concentrate on retaining power in Dadenggre.