Reigning Lyngdoh, Shillong (Jan 18):

Unity, they say, is strength. But in the dusty battlefield of Meghalaya’s warzone – read election arena – it is the Independent candidates who could emerge as the dark horse and upset the calculations of big parties like the ruling Congress and the United Democratic Party (UDP) in the February 23 Assembly elections.

Several Congress heavyweights, denied party tickets in this elections, are among those who will be contesting the elections as Independents and it will not be surprising if these candidates play spoilsport to the chances of the political parties and their candidates on counting day on February 28.

In fact, political analysts said with so many candidates joining the fray as Independents from various constituencies, the soon-to-constituted ninth Meghalaya legislative assembly may have more Independent MLAs in the 60-member House.

In the last 2008 assembly polls, 73 Independent candidates had contested from various constituencies but only five of them were elected as members of the eighth legislative assembly.

The five independent MLAs who won the 2008 polls were Donkupar Massar from Nongshken constituency, Manas Chaudhuri from Mawprem constituency, Abu Taher Mondal from Phulbari constituency, Ismail R Marak from Rongram constituency and Limison D Sangma from Tikrikilla constituency.

Massar is also the only Independent legislator in the present assembly who did not hobnob with other political parties, especially to seek ticket this time.

Except Massar, the other four Independent MLAs – Chaudhuri, Mondal, Ismail and Limison — have associated with the Congress and were duly rewarded with party tickets.

Chaudhuri got the Congress ticket to contest from South Shillong constituency and Mondal was given the Congress ticket to fight from Phulbari constituency.

Similarly, Limison D Sangma was given the Congress ticket to contest from Raksamgre constituency. However, Ismail did not get a Congress ticket to contest from Dadenggiri constituency as the ticket was allotted to GHADC CEM, Purno K Sangma.

But among the prominent independent contenders who will join the election fray on February 23, are Donkupar Massar and his wife Grace Mary Kharpuri.

Massar and Kharpuri have created political history in Meghalaya as both of them were elected as public representative when they contested as Independent candidates.

Massar was elected as Independent MLA from Nongshken in 2008 and Kharpuri got elected as MDC of Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) in the 2009 autonomous district council elections from Nongshken constituency.

Massar, a businessman who won for the first time in 2008, will again contest as an Independent from Pynursla, a new constituency created after delimitation of the 60 assembly segments in the Meghalaya in 2009.

While Massar will take on Congress minister Prestone Tynsong from Pynursla, his wife Kharpuri will contest as an Independent from Shella constituency against former chief minister and UDP president Donkupar Roy who had represented Shella since 1998.

Since 1988, Roy has never lost an electoral battle from Shella constituency till 2008. But it will be an interesting turn of event if Roy — who won his first election in 1988 as Independent from Shella — loses to Kharpuri.

Massar is also one of the rarest businessman-turned-politicians who won the 2008 assembly elections from Nongshken without holding public meetings as he had adopted a strategy of house-to-house campaign.

“Not a single public meeting was held in 2008 when I campaigned for Nongshken constituency. I only met people and understood their problems by visiting them in their house,” Massar told Seven Sisters Post.

However, Massar has decided to change his strategy this time and has started public campaign like other candidates.

On January 15, Massar launched his first-ever public campaign from his residence at Pynursla, about 55km from Shillong.

As the saying goes, “there is a woman for every successful man”, Massar’s wife Kharpuri led from the front – she was the guest speaker during her husband’s campaign rally.

Massar said that the main intention for holding the public campaign was only to show to the people of his Pynursla constituency that his position has not gone down “since my opponents have been propagating that I am losing ground day by day. My leaders and supporters from various villages in the constituency also feared on hearing such propagandas. Now fear and insecurity have faded away from my supporters’ mind.”

Interestingly, Massar has decided to hold only two public meetings including the first one he held on January 15.

“This first public meeting on January 15 was only with my leaders from various villages. The second and final public meeting will be with my leaders and supporters,” Massar informed.

Apart from Massar and Kharpuri, other prominent candidates who will contest as Independent include former Congress minister Irin Lyngdoh who was denied Congress ticket.

Lyngdoh, who is also the Congress MDC in KHADC, is expected to give Congress candidate Boldness L Nongum a tough fight.

Another prominent woman and former Mahila Congress leader, Pelcy Snaitang will also join the fray as an Independent from Mawshynrut constituency after she was denied the Congress ticket.

According to political analysts, both the former Congress women — Lyngdoh and Snaitang – are potential winners from Mawthadraishan and Mawsynrut constituencies respectively in West Khasi Hills district.

As far as the 36 assembly constituencies in Khasi Jaintia Hills region are concerned, there might also be “dummy” Indepednent contenders “only to spoil” the winning chances of other candidates set up by political parties.

Though the exact number of Independent candidates fighting the ensuing assembly polls will be known only after filing of nomination papers, the signals emanating from different camps suggest that there could be quite a handful this time around.

And if the number of Independent winners goes up drastically, this “tribe” could even become the king-makers after February 28.

source:sevensisterpost.com