NPP kicks off campaign,Cong hopes to win

***National People’s Party (NPP) president and candidate Conrad Kongal Sangma (second from right) kicked off his campaign at Adokgre on Monday. Also seen are his sister and mother***

ADOKGRE /SHILL APR 25: Even as chief minister Mukul Sangma said he ws optimistic of the Congress win in the Tura Lok Sabha bye-polls, the National People’s Party (NPP) president and candidate Conrad Kongal Sangma kicked off his campaign at Adokgre, a remote village in North Garo hills, along the Assam – Meghalaya border on Monday

Keeping the tradition of his father alive Conrad decided to ring the poll bugle from Adokgre, a village known for lush green cover, flourishing broom and arecanut.

He tried to connect to the electorates by speaking on the legacy of the legendary politician and his late father Purno Agitok Sangma, fondly called as the “king of the Garos”, who had step in politics in 1977 as a candidate from the prestigious Tura Lok Sabha seat and had won 10 consecutive times.

Adokgre is about 150 km north of Tura and about 130 km from Guwahati, close to Dorenggre in Assam’s Goalpara district. The people of this village are mostly agriculturist and have trade ties with the neigbouring village of Goalpara and Kamrup.

Meanwhile in Shilong, chief minister Mukul Sangma said he is optimistic that the Congress will win the Tura Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming bye-elections slated on May 16.

“Congress will campaign to win the seat because ours is a commitment to serve the people,” Sangma told reporters at the sideline of a function held in the city here on Monday.

Mukul’s wife, Dikkanchi D Shira is the Congress candidate and will lock horns with the National People Party (NPP) national president Conrad K Sangma, who is making effort to retain the seat represented by his late father.

Mukul said, “My prescription is a prescription of optimism always because it gives you that positive energy which enables you to dare to dream big and aspire more.”

“We must win the bye-election and therefore Congress will work hard to win the seat,” Mukul said while informing he would immediately finalized the scheduled for the election campaigns.

The bye- polls was necessitated following the passing away of former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma on March earlier this year.

Reiterating that the party’s commitment is to serve the people, Mukul said, “We want to ensure that the momentum of growth which we have been able to generate is further expedited and is carried forward.”-By Our Bureau