SHILLONG, SEPT 29: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) created a sprt of history when the All Regional Parties Alliance (ARPA) on Monday elected a new leader belonging to the junior most party in the alliance the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM)’s MDC Adelbert Nongrum as its leader who will subsequently become KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) after Ardent Basaiawmoit resigned from the post.
“We have unanimously decided to elect Nongrum of the KHNAM as the new leader of the KHADC,” United Democratic Party (UDP)’s president Donkupar Roy told reporters after a meeting of the ARPA on Monday.
ARPA is a coalition of three regional parties – Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP) being the largest party with 7 MDCs, UDP with 6 and KHNAM which has only 4 MDCs in the alliance.
Roy said, “The ARPA has created a new convention in which for the first time, a member of the junior most party in the coalition alliance was elected as its leader who will become the CEM.”
The decision to offer the top KHADC post to the KHNAM came after the HSPDP refused to elect a new leader after Basaiawmoit resigned as the CEM.
The UDP, who forced Basaiawmoit to resign, also did not want its man to head the KHADC.
Roy said the appeal to the newly elected leader of the alliance was to ensure that the post of the CEM is a successful one for him by taking its coalition partners along while working for KHADC.
Roy said that all the 17 members of ARPA has expressed their hope and repose their confident on the leadership of Nongrum even as he informed that four MDCs including Basaiawmoit who were absent from the meeting have given a written assurance of their support to the new leader of the alliance.
The ARPA will soon submit a letter informing about the new leader to the District Council Affairs department of the state government and the Governor, who will fix a date to hold the election for the CEM post.
Nongrum was also a former deputy chairman of the district council.
Speaking to reporters, an elated Nongrum said, “I expressed my gratitude to the party and coalition partners HSPDP and UDP for electing me as the ARPA leader.” He also expressed his gratitude to the former CEM Ardent M Basaiawmoit who he said led the council for six months.
Spelling on his commitments, Nongrum emphasized on the need to work in together in the new executive committee and to bring about understanding and respect among the coalition partners– By Our Reporter .
Kudos to Mr Adelbert Nongrum. The former CEM had blazed a trail. Do something during your tenure so that the acronym KHNAM gives impact in the society especially the indeginous people.