Cabinet minister and Mawhati MLA Dasakhiatbha Lamare confirmed today that he will run for the Nongkrem seat when the state holds its Assembly election next year.
Lamare, a first-time legislator, has been criticised by opponents in Mawhati for being an outsider in the constituency and not really connected with the people and their concerns.
His move to Nongkrem will likely make that contest a very interesting one. In 2018, Lambor Malngiang won by fewer than 100 votes against the incumbent Ardent M Basaiawmoit, who has spent the last four years trying to increase his political profile and has even formed a new political party.
The decision for Lamare to contest from Nongkrem has been an open secret for some time now, with the next election dubbed as a battle between Lambo and Lambor; Lambo refers to Lamare’s latest luxury car, a Lamborghini.
Today, Lamare said that Nongkrem had been his intended seat in 2018 but “unavoidable circumstances” made him choose Mawhati instead. Last time HS Shylla, who, like Lamare, ran on a National People’s Party (NPP) ticket, contested from Nongkrem but lost heavily. Shylla was keen to make his re-entry to the Assembly through Nongkrem, so Lamare may have had to give way. However, Shylla died in 2020.
