SHILLONG, APR 23: Acknowledging tough fight between NPP and Congress in Tura, NPP leader and cabinet Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Tuesday the winning margin in Tura seat will be small. Claiming that NPP candidate Agatha Sangma has the edge, he expressed doubt that BJP vote bank supported NPP in Tura.
The National People’s Party (NPP) leader and cabinet minister Rakkam A Sangma has said the April 19 Lok Sabha elections was an unexpected tough fight for the party as TMC voters were supporting the Congress candidate.
Speaking to media persons, Rakkam said, “We have had an unexpected tough fight in Garo Hills as well as in Shillong parliamentary constituency.”
“However, with God’s grace, we are expecting to win by a small margin and NPP will send back madam (Agatha K Sangma) to Delhi,” he said.
Asked, Rakkam said, “This is because all Trinmool Congress (TMC) voters have supported Congress candidate (Saleng A Sangma, who is also Gambegre MLA) for reasons best known to them.”
He alleged that the TMC has given up the fight during the recently held election and that is why most of the TMC voters have voted for Congress.
Stating that misusing of religious sentiments was also a matter of serious concern during the elections, Rakkam said, “Even the church has been carried (away), some people, I don’t think but however there are some church people have carried out with the propaganda being speak in the election time but I don’t think so the sound doctrine church leaders, sound Christian believers will not go with that, with all these things happening because they will go what the scriptures say. There are many misleading misinformation propaganda has been carried out against certain parties, certain individuals forgetting the sound doctrine the church should have. So this is a matter of concern.”
Asked on the BJP’s support to NPP, the cabinet minister however said, “I don’t know how far this is true. For example, I don’t know BJP did not put up the candidate for Shillong and Tura. In the last MLA elections, BJP got 90,000 votes from TUra. If truly if they support (us), the 90,000 voters should have gone to NPP (and it) would have been a blessing but I don’t know whether that happened or not so rather BJP did not put up candidates the reason is best known to them.”
He also recalled that during the 2023 MLA elections, the campaign by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Tura did not have any impact in Meghalaya.
“Knowing all this, the BJP must have decided why spend our time and resources unnecessary where we are going to lose therefore, they did not put up any candidate. Therefore, they have instructed their cadres to vote for NPP but I don’t know whether they have voted or not. If BJP voters voted for NPP we may be winning easily but I don’t know whether they voted or not, I don’t know whether they supported in letter and spirit or not. However, the opposition took the advantage to mislead, to misinform the people about this and this is something not correct and not a good sign in the future,” Rakkam added.
In regards to Shillong constituency, Rakkam said, “Whoever is winning as MP I give my best wishes. To me Shillong is a prestigious seat and Shillong knows which party or which candidate should be send to Delhi as Meghalaya we don’t have resources. Whoever comes to power, whoever will be the MP, whether it is NPP, BJP, UDP, VPP or any party Meghalaya able to run the government with the mercy of the Central government as we don’t have any resources so whoever will be the MP, should be able to connect with the Central government to bring development and take up issues.”
“I don’t know for Shillong, we are keeping our fingers crossed but still we are expecting and I wish NPP should win Shillong seat so that it will bring more development and more connection with the central government because there will be no better candidate no better party to connect with the centre government than the NPP for Meghalaya,” he added.