The National People’s Party (NPP) in Jirang, Ri-Bhoi, has denied that there was a conspiracy against giving sitting MDC Victor Rani the party ticket for the upcoming KHADC election.
Rani claimed yesterday that the NPP was not going to award him the ticket as members of the party, including the Jirang MLA, were plotting against him. (The party has not made its choice for this particular seat public yet.) Rani joined the Congress Party yesterday and took with him several supporters.
Reacting to this development, the NPP in Jirang convened an emergency meeting today to address the allegations made by Rani.
The meeting, led by NPP district president Clement Mawlong and Jirang block president and local MLA Sosthenes Sohtun, was held in Byrnihat. The party leadership categorically refuted the allegations made by Rani, asserting that the claims of ticket denial were unfounded and his resignation thus premature.
Sohtun, Mawlong and NPP youth wing Jirang president Marcus Lapasam denied the existence of any conspiracy and claimed instead that Rani had distanced himself from party leaders and failed to maintain regular communication. They urged party members to remain united and focused on the upcoming election.
There are three aspirants under consideration for the Jirang seat – Albertus Lapang, Kitboklang Khongiong and Balawan Syiemiong – and their candidatures were discussed at the meeting. The possibility of Sohtun running for the MDC post while in the role of MLA was also discussed.
