Congress MLA Saleng Sangma seemed unbothered by the claims of NPP that he is not at all a threat to them in this upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Even though the Congress party is yet to officially announce its Lok Sabha poll candidates from Meghalaya, it is clear that Saleng Sangma will be the party candidate from Tura parliamentary seat.
Speaking to media persons here today, Sangma said that no one can be a threat to anyone since it lies on the voters who will be the decision maker.
“The people know better than any of us what kind of leader they want. If I go to the public and ask for their votes promising them to be a good leader, I might be wrong. They have already witnessed how the past leaders were and how they have served them. So it won’t be new for them to hear me say that I will be a better leader,” Sangma said.
Asked about his preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, Sangma stated that the people have been preparing themselves for decades now.
On the issues that he will take up during the election campaign, Sangma said that he has always been raising the issues related to education, health and certain agriculture sectors.
“In the Assembly I have raised several issues. Even the plight of teachers and several other subjects have always been highlighted by me in the House,” he said.
Although Tura parliamentary constituency is a strong bastion for NPP MP Agatha Sangma and her family, the Congress MLA said that in terms of resources, he is nothing in front of them; moreover, they have been there for decades.
“So ultimately if the public wants change they might either vote for me or dump me. I can’t tell people to choose me. If they feel Purno A. Sangma’s family is the right choice for them, let it be and if they choose me I will fight for them,” Sangma said.
It may be mentioned that the Congress has decided to forward the name of sitting MP Vincent H. Pala and party MLA Saleng Sangma to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Shillong parliamentary seat and Tura parliamentary seat respectively.
Sources said that the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has recommended the two names to Rana K P Singh, the chairman of the screening committee of All India Congress Committee (AICC) for North East region.
Singh and two other members of the screening committee Jaivardhan Singh and Ivan D’Souza met on January 29 at Rajiv Bhavan in Guwahati to screen the ticket applicants from states of the North East for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Congress sources said that Pala and Sangma were the only ticket applicants from the two parliamentary seats in Meghalaya.
Pala had won the Shillong seat thrice – in 2009, 2024 and 2019.
Sangma on the other hand will be trying his luck for the first time for the Lok Sabha poll.
He is currently the Congress MLA from Gambegre constituency in West Garo Hills.
Like Pala, Sangma has also won as MLA of Gambegre thrice. In 2013 he won as an independent while in 2018 he got elected on the NCP ticket. In 2023 he retained the seat on the Congress ticket.
However, the Congress which is engaged in discussion for seat sharing with allies in the INDIA bloc is likely to release the official list of candidates only after the announcement of poll dates by the Election Commission.
