Will ensure CM Conrad Sangma is defeated in South Tura: M’laya BJP chief Mawrie

It is a battle of do or die for the BJP particularly in the South Tura seat where the party’s state Vice President Bernard Marak is up against Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP president Conrad Sangma.

In an exclusive interview with Editor-in-Chief Wasbir Husaain, ahead of the Assembly polls on February 27, Meghalaya BJP President Ernest Mawrie said that the party will do everything to ensure that CM Sangma faces defeat in the hands of Bernard Marak.

The BJP will go all out to ensure that Marak is able to put up a tough fight against CM Sangma, the party will put all its might against Marak to ensure that he has a comfortable win against CM Sangma, Mawrie said.

“Already our central leaders have campaigned for Bernard Marak. From now onwards, ministers will come and campaign in Marak’s constituency, South Tura. Hon’ble Prime Minister has taken care himself to add Central ministers as star campaigners in Meghalaya to win more seats,” Mawrie said.

Asked if the BJP will do everything to ensure that Marak wins South Tura, Mawrie said, “Yes we are already supporting him, he should win the election. The Central leadership also wants that he should win”.

Marak, a former militant leader, has been vocal against Conrad Sangma. Marak was last year arrested, charged with immoral trafficking and running a brothel in his farmhouse at Tura and jailed. He came out of jail just a few months back.

Marak has been accusing CM Sangma and the NPP of cheating the people of the state, living the state under-developed and accused CM Sangma of putting him in jail to shut him up for exposing him, his failures and failed policies.

Marak had earlier joined Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC), an armed militant group, to carve out a separate state for Garo tribals. In 2014 he laid down arms and disbanded ANVC (B).

A Wharton School and Imperial College of London product, Conrad Sangma, son of former Lok Sabha Speaker, is the sitting MLA of South Tura. His party, NPP had won 19 seats in the 2018 Assembly elections, a close second after Congress who had won 21 seats. Sangma allied with BJP (2 MLAs), UDP (6 MLAs), PDF (4 MLAs) and HSPDP (2 MLAs) and staked claim to form the government.

But now all the allies are fighting the elections on their own. BJP in fact has been accusing Sangma and NPP of corruption, leaving Meghalaya under-developed and backward and doing nothing for the people.
South Tura is an assembly constituency in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district.

It is reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Tribes. It is part of the Tura Lok Sabha constituency. Conrad Sangma is the sitting MLA of South Tura.

The other candidates contesting from South Tura are Congress’s Brenzield Ch Marak, John Leslee K Sangma of UDP and Richard Mrong Marak from Trinamool Congress (TMC).