SHILLONG, MAY 18: The state BJP has four ticket aspirants in the fray for the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha byelection and will finalise its candidate after a party meeting scheduled for May 20, senior leader and Pynthorumkhrah legislator A.L. Hek said on Monday.
“Four names have already been discussed for the Shillong Lok Sabha byelection,” Hek told the press.
“We are having a meeting on May 20. After the meeting we can decide or zero down to any potential candidate of the party.”
Hek refused to reveal the names, calling it an “internal matter of the party for the time being.”
“Until we announce it, we have got four names but we will not mention their names,” he said. “There are four candidates who are aspiring to contest the Shillong Lok Sabha seat.”
Pressed on whether Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai and former IPS officer M. Kharkrang were among the contenders, he reiterated, “I will not mention any names but there are already four names there. Once we officially zero down to a candidate we will announce accordingly.”
He confirmed the BJP would contest the seat. “All political parties are fielding their own candidates and BJP too is fielding its own candidate,” Hek said.
Commenting on rivals NPP and VPP, he added, “They have their own agenda. Every political party has their own agenda. BJP also has a very strong one, and you will know when the time has come once we announce the candidate.”
Hek projected confidence about the BJP’s chances. “Yes, we have a hundred percent chance to win the Shillong seat,” he said.
According to him, the party’s base in the state is expanding. “People are coming from all over the state to join the BJP. Even sitting MLAs and ex-MLAs have met me personally and expressed that they want to join the BJP,” Hek said. “The acceptability of the BJP in Meghalaya is very high.”
He declined to name any of the sitting legislators looking to switch, citing legal concerns. “Until and unless they join, if we talk about anti-defection law, it is not good to mention anybody’s name,” he said.
When asked specifically about former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, Hek did not confirm or deny. “I will not mention any names but I am telling you many of them,” he said. “Not only from Khasi-Jaintia Hills but even from Garo Hills also they have approached me personally as they want to join the BJP. We welcome them but at the right time they join us.”
By Our Reporter
