TURA, MAY 14: The three week long campaign for May 16 Tura Lok Sabha bye-election ended on Saturday for the straight contest between National People’s Party (NPP) candidate Conrad K. Sangma and Congress candidate Dikkanchi D. Shira.
The Tura Lok Sabha constituency has 24 assembly segments and a total of 6.3 lakh electorates.
Of the total 945 polling stations, 410 are hyper sensitive and more than half of them are vulnerable.
There are 126 polling stations which are sensitive due to the possibility of group clashes and political rivalries. The remaining 409 polling stations have been categorized as normal.
A total of 12 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure law and order during the by poll.
The campaigning, which had begun on a sober note by NPP candidate Conrad turned out to be volatile with Congress candidate Dikkanchi D. Shira and chief minister Mukul Sangma making scathing attack on BJP led NDA government.
For Conrad the election campaign was more of paying rich tribute to his father. He had sought people’s mandate banking on the legacy of his father late P A Sangma, who demise in March necessitated the bye-election.
Congress candidate Dikkanchi in her election campaign urged the electorates to give mandate to her candidature to keep the BJP at bay. She had levelled charges that NPP, which is an alliance partner of NDA will not be able to defend and protect the people of Garo hills.
While, chief minister Mukul, who had been drumming support for his wife Dikkanchi sought people’s cooperation and unity to ensure that Congress party is strengthened for overall development of Garo hills and Meghalaya.
In every campaign, Mukul accused BJP of dividing the nation and indulging in communal politics. He articulated that Congress party has a single objective of development. He went hammer and thongs against NPP candidate Conrad for his alleged wrong decision to scrap power projects in the state during his tenure as finance and power minister in 2008.
NPP countered all accusations levelled by the Congress candidate and chief minister Mukul terming it as mere – “war-of-words”.
The BJP threw all its weight on NPP candidate. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli shamed the Congress in their election meetings at Gokul and Tura bazaar. They had termed the Congress party of hypnotising the electorates with their false propaganda that BJP is anti-Christian and anti-Muslim.
Oram and Kohli made a pitch that NPP candidate was the right choice for the people of Garo Hills. Oram had said, “People of Garo hills should pay tribute to PA Sangma by giving the mandate to Conrad”.
For BJP the Tura Lok Sabha bye-election was to pay tribute to PA Sangma and his luminous political career. The entire BJP unit of Meghalaya is behind Conrad during his campaign.
The counting of votes will be held on May 19.-From Our Correspondent
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