The BJP has expressed its concerns regarding the issues raised by the Congress and Trinamool Congress during the recently contested Lok Sabha elections for the Tura parliamentary constituency in Garo Hills.
It also said that the rival parties harped on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), One Nation One Election, and the Uniform Civil Code to scare voters from supporting the BJP.
According to State BJP vice president and Tura MDC Bernard N. Marak, the elections were fought based on unfounded fears of the people rather than genuine issues, and most of the candidates did not even have an election manifesto.
“The campaigners tried to scare the people with laws that are not applicable in Meghalaya, such as CAA, One Nation One Election, and the Uniform Civil Code. The pressing issues of the State and the people found little or no mention during the campaigning process, and campaigners fed on their fears mostly,” Marak said.
He lamented the lack of vision of the candidates and their inability to provide a clear roadmap of their plans for the next five years.
Criticising the candidates for not discussing how they would work without a vision if they were to be elected, Marak however hopes that such practices must change and that people should not be taken for a ride.
It may be mentioned that the BJP did not put up any candidate for both Shillong and Tura parliamentary seats. The party however extended its support to the NPP.
In Shillong seat, the BJP backed NPP candidate Ampareen Lyngdoh while in Tura seat it supported sitting MP Agatha Sangma also of NPP.
However, reports said that in the Tura seat, Congress candidate Saleng Sangma performed well in the fight and became a strong contender against Agatha Sangma.
It also remains to be seen as to which party the Muslim community gave its support in the election. Tura parliamentary seat also includes a number of Assembly constituencies dominated by the Muslim community. These are Rajabala, Phulbari, Mahendraganj and Tikrikilla.
