Newly elected MLA of Mawryngkneng constituency, Pyniaid Sing Syiem has alleged that during the campaign in the recent by-election the Congress went around telling people that all churches in the constituency will be closed down if the NPP wins.
Speaking to a group of reporter here, Syiem who won the by-poll from the seat as an NPP candidate said that there were some polling stations where the NPP was defeated and when they tried to analyse the cause of the defeat in these polling stations it was found that the Congress had spread fear among the public that churches will all be closed in the area if the NPP nominee is elected to power.
“We were supposed to taste defeat in Mawryngkneng because the Congress party not only blamed us for using money power but their campaign went beyond this and they had spread false rumours just to win the election,” Syiem told some reporters yesterday.
He said that till date Congress was not ready to accept defeat in the by-polls and continued to blame the NPP and UDP for using money power in the by-polls beside various other allegations.
Stating that such a way of campaigning is not acceptable, Syiem thanked the voters of Mawryngkneng who did not fall prey to such false rumours spread by the grand old party.
“It was the Congress that had used money power in this constituency since 2003 and everyone knows about it but fortunately the people this time have voted for change and we will give our best service to this mandate of the people of the constituency,” he said.
When asked if there have been talks on his induction in the cabinet, Syiem however said that he met Chief Minister Conrad Sangma only once after he won the by-poll.
“When I met the chief minister all that we discussed was only about pending developmental projects in Mawryngkneng constituency and the need for drinking water supply in areas like Umpling, Mawlynrei, Mawryngkneng and others,” he said.
