Shillong, Mar 25: The National People’s Party (NPP) has admitted to “shortcomings” that saw former Tura MP Agatha K Sangma included on a list of star campaigners for the Assam Assembly election and by-election in Nagaland.
Agatha’s inclusion in the list was a source of controversy as she is the current Chairperson of the Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR), a quasi-judicial and statutory position that demands neutrality and impartiality.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event here today, her brother and NPP supremo Conrad K Sangma, the Chief Minister, said that Agatha had herself informed him that she would not be able to campaign in the election by virtue of being the MSCPCR chair.
However, the message was not passed on to the NPP election team, which included Agatha in the list submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The NPP has now taken corrective action and asked the ECI to remove her name from the list, Conrad said.
A similar incident took place during the 2023 state election here in Meghalaya when the then Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW) Chairperson, Phidalia Toi, actively campaigned for a candidate. She was subsequently removed from her post.
