SHILLONG, JAN 27: Sitting Rajya Sabha MP Wansuk Syiem filed her nomination for the lone seat to the Upper House from Meghalaya on Monday even as she said she will be winning the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections slated on February 7.
Syiem was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on April 11 last year I a bye-election held to fill up the vacancy caused by the resignation of the then upper house MP Thomas A. Sangma, who unsuccefully contested the 2013 assembly elections as the National People’s Party (NPP) candidate.
Accompanied by former chief minister and Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Party (MPCC) president DD Lapang, AICC secretary (in-charge Meghalaya) Vijaylakshni Sadho, State social welfare minister Deborah Marak and party’s supporters, Syiem filed her nomination paper before the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly secretary H Mylliemngap on Monday after the Congress re-nominated her name as its candidate for the Upper House.
Wansuk, who is also a senior Congress leader, became first woman from Meghalaya to be elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 11 last year. She said, “I am confident to win the upcoming elections. I trust my party leaders and supporters and they will no doubt support me”
Wansuk also expressed her gratitude to chief minister Mukul Sangma and AICC president Sonia Gandhi for re-nominating her for the elections.
Wanskuk said that if she is, she will look into the welfare of my own people and development of the own state and will seek the help of the leaders like the chief minister and ministers to ensures that whatever proposals the state government send to the union will be taken up at the priorities basis.
Syiem told reporters that even though her last tenure as Rajya Sabha MP was of only ten months but she had tried her level best to serve the people and the state.
“It is a learning year for me and now I am familiar with the parliamentarian procedures. Within a very short span of time on my own humble way I have been trying my best whatever I could do a little bit for the state within this time.”
Meghalaya assembly secretary, in the meantime, informed that the last date for filing nomination for the poll is January 28 and the papers would be scrutinized on January 29, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 31.
The opposition parties have not put up any candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat. Last year too it had not put up any candidate against Syiem.
In the present Assembly, the Congress has 29 legislators, including the Speaker, while the Mukul Sangma government has the backing of two NCP legislators, 11 Independents, and one legislator belonging to the North East Social Democratic Party (NESDP).
The opposition styled as the Meghalaya People’s Forum (MPF) comprises of the UDP with eight legislators, Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) with four legislators, two legislators from the National People’s Party (NPP), two Independents and one from the Garo National Council (GNC). However, the HSPDP is not part of the MPF.– By Our Reporter
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