SHILLONG, FEB 18: In its effort to stave of defection by its members in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC), the United Democratic Party (UDP) entered into an agreement with party candidates in a sort of an alliance to ensure that none of them deserts the party if elected in the absence of an anti-defection law in the ADC.
“All our candidates who are contesting the upcoming district elections in the two autonomous district councils in Khasi and Jaintia Hills have signed a ‘deed of agreement’ under the Contract Act of the state government to prevent switching of allegiance,” UDP working president Bindo M Lanong told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.
Spelling out the terms and conditions laid down in the agreement, Lanong said, “Candidates once elected as representatives cannot defect from the party for at least five years.”
Altogether 47 candidates from the UDP will be contesting the upcoming district council elections to the KHADC and JHADC slated on February 24.
While 29 candidates will be in the fray for KHADC election, 18 will be contesting from different constituencies in the JHADC.
Lanong said that the legal agreement has also authorize the chairman of the district council to place an ‘indefinite-suspension’ on whosoever violated the agreement signed with the UDP.
Lanong also informed, “The chairman can be drag to court of law if he fails to take action against the party MDC(s) who defects.” According to him the agreement was signed by candidates just before the scrutiny of the nomination papers for the elections.
In the last 2009 district council elections of nine party MDCs who won on UDP’s ticket in the KHADC election, five of them defected and joined the Congress party.
Similarly, 13 candidates of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement had also made similar pledged before the bust of the Khasi freedom fighter U Tirot Sing Syiem in the state central library recently to serve the Khasi community with utmost sincerity and not to defect their allegiance from the party if they win the MDC election.
Lanong, however, observed that such pledged taken by the KHNAM is not effective enough to bind the candidates from defection.
UDP Manifesto
Setting up village courts in the Khasi and Jaintia hills region s to improve the administration of justice for the people beside fighting corruption and promoting peace tops the agenda of the UDP manifesto released on Tuesday.
Releasing the two-page manifesto by UDP working president BM Lanong in the presence of party officials and workers he said, “Setting up of village courts will highly benefit the people living in rural areas to ensure fast delivery of justices.”
UDP also promise to improve the delivery of justice in the different courts of the council which exist as per the administration of justice under the council.
Lanong said the party also aims at improving the green covers in the state to safeguard the rich mineral resources as empowered to the council by the Sixth Schedule of the constitution.- By Our Reporter
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