Conrad Sangma, the Meghalaya Chief Minister, was reelected unopposed as the president of the National People’s Party here today but more attention was on the party’s choice of general secretary, the rape-accused Thomas Sangma.
The NPP held a general body meeting in the state capital today. No votes were cast as there were no other nominees for the posts concerned, returning officer and NPP spokesperson Abhaya Kashyap told reporters.
Kashyap was left defending the choice of Thomas as party general secretary as the North Tura MLA was accused of rape by a woman in Shillong in June last year.
“A person is not guilty unless the court finds him so… Sangma was amply-qualified for the position and I would not like to comment on something which may be subjudice or which may not be relevant to our election directive,” Kashyap said. “Please do not assume that we can take the position of a judge or executioner,” he added when asked if Thomas should not have contested on moral grounds.
Having allegations levelled against a candidate does not invalidate that person’s nomination, Kashyap explained.
“A position in a party is not only a position of power but the responsibility that has to be willingly taken and not forced upon. The election was open to all members of the party. We received only one nomination for that position and that person in whose name we received the nomination was legally a valid candidate,” he said, adding that he is not countering, justifying or making a judgement on whatever legal procedures are pending.
According to the FIR filed by the woman alleging rape, Thomas raped her on multiple occasions from January 2020 to April 2021 at her residence or in a city hotel “on the pretext of marriage”.
