Rainfall in much of Garo Hills today threw a spanner into the election activities, with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s visit to campaign for National People’s Party (NPP) candidate Abdus Saleh being one of those affected.
The CM was slated for a meeting with supporters in the village of Bhajamara under Rajabala constituency but incessant rains played spoilsport, with most supporters scurrying for shelter as the skies opened.
Campaigns have now moved door-to-door with supporters of all parties involved in visiting houses to push for votes for their candidates.
The Rajabala by-election is being keenly fought and watched by others with all parties involved making very serious attempts to woo voters. Rajabala will see a five-way battle with the NPP, Congress, United Democratic Party, Bharatiya Janata Party and an independent making daily trips in an effort to bolster their votes before voting day on October 30.
Earlier, huge crowds for rallies for the NPP and Congress candidates were flagged by the Election Commission over apparent violation of Covid-19 protocols. A meeting was held yesterday where party representatives were told to ensure protocols were maintained during their campaigns.
Last week, Sangma as well as leader of the opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma, held rallies which saw huge numbers come to the venue to listen to the leaders. With just a few more days of campaigning to go, the scene is set to liven up even further.
According to sources, the NPP will continue to line up ministers for Rajabala visits to try and woo voters while the Congress camp confirmed that Dr Sangma and Meghalaya Congress president and Shillong MP Vincent Pala will come to the constituency in the coming days to support their candidate. Assam Congressmen, former minister Rekibul Hussain and Wajed Ali Choudhury, will also join in.
For the UDP candidate, Ashahel D Shira, Home Minister Lakhmen Rymbui is expected to go on a door-to-door campaign in the constituency with more UDP leaders also expected to arrive in the coming days. Rymbui is expected to visit the constituency tomorrow.
