President of the NPP South West Khasi Hills District Kitboklang Nongrem on Tuesday informed that the party will immediately call for a general meeting at Rangthong on February 2, to decide on the new candidate for Ranikor constituency.
Addressing pressmen, Nongrem said that the former five-time Ranikor MLA Martin M Danggo has yet again betrayed the NPP by deciding to soon join the BJP.
He said therefore, the meeting will discuss how to immediately reconstitute the party and decide on the new candidate.
Nongrem said this was not the first time that the former legislator had betrayed the party.
“When we were planning to contest the MDC by-election after the demise of N Marwein that time he again went back to the Congress. After that, he came back to the party. We didn’t expect that such an incident would take place and that he would betray us again,” he said.
Nongrem also denied the allegation made by Danggo’s leader Pelcy Snaitang that the party leaders are supporting the United Democratic Party (UDP) legislator Pius Marwein as they do not want the former Assembly Speaker to win from Ranikor.
He said there is no fact in Snaitang’s allegation that he and his team are trying to campaign against Danggo in the coming elections.
“The message (Snaitang was referring to) was just a text in a whatsapp group between me and one PS Lyngdoh who had alleged that all 36 MLAs of Khasi-Jaintia Hills are useless,” he said.
When asked, Nongrem however said it will depend on the party leaders and supporters if he should be the candidate of Ranikor.
“We also have so many leaders in my team and ultimately we will take decisions as per suggestions and advice from leaders of the different polling station committees.”he said.