The tussle for BJP ticket from the prestigious North Shillong constituency has caused friction in the party with a senior leader calling it quits.
State BJP vice president and former minister John Antonius Lyngdoh has today resigned from the party accusing party president Earnest Mawrie of sidelining and ostracising him for the past four and a half years.
In a resignation letter sent to Mawrie, Lyngdoh stated that the recent and also not so recent turn of events has compelled him to quit.
“Under your leadership as the president of the party, I have felt a sense of dismay and unfortunately a sense of betrayal as well. This is evident from the very onset of you favouring a then fellow party member Rocky Hek as candidate from 17th North Shillong after my defeat. Time and again, I have initiated a meeting and a talk with you but it never materialised. After Rocky Hek resigned this year, I have again tried to materialise a meeting, but to no avail,” Lyngdoh said.
“What has saddened and shook my loyalty to the party is the very fact that a few members of the party and yourself projected Martamlin Pyrbot for candidature and were present in the formation of the 17th North Mandal Committee whereas it was quite ironic because the Mandal Committee formed by me, which was convened to be approved in 17th North Shillong, was cancelled by the same people at the very last moment,” he added.
Lyngdoh also said that party MLA Sanbor Shullai was told to deliberately and intentionally not turn up at his (Lyngdoh) residence resulting in disappointment to him, his supporters and party workers.
Lyngdoh was among the four aspirants for BJP ticket from North Shillong constituency for the 2023 polls. The others are former IPS officer Mariahom Kharkrang, former MDC Martamlin Pyrbot and Michael Kharsyntiew.
BJP sources said that in the fight for the ticket, Kharkrang is backed by party MLA A L Hek while Pyrbot is getting the support of Mawrie.
It may be noted that Lyngdoh joined the BJP in 2016. He contested the 2018 Assembly elections from North Shillong constituency but lost to Adelbert Nongrum of KHNAM by a narrow margin of 406 votes.
