Tura April 01: After 37 years, the prestigious Parliamentary seat of Tura is set to witness an interesting battle.
The seat represented by veteran politician Purno Agitok Sangma, the tallest leader from Northeast, who was a former Lok Sabha speaker and several times union minister, and a chief minister of Meghalaya. Nine consecutive wins from Tura.
This time around, it is not an essay battle for Purno, who is pitted against a political greenhorn, Daryl William Momin, who carries the legacy of founder chief minister of Meghalaya, Williamson Sangma.
Though Purno is banking on his career record to win this election, Momin is playing the emotional card of his grandfather, who led the hill state movement for the creation of Meghalaya, carved out of Assam.
Meghalaya was declared a full-fledged state on 21 January, 1972.
Just eight days remaining for the polling, April 9 and both National People’s Party and Congress is leaving no stones unturned to ensure their candidates win.
For Congress, Meghalaya chief minister, Mukul Sangma is all out to clinch the Garo hills citadel for Momin.
Both the parties – NPP and Congress is blazing guns at each other, attacks and counter attacks.
It used to be an easy task for Purno, who has won election since 1977 with huge margins. For him to push his daughter Agatha Sangma in 2008 bye-election and 2009 general Lok Sabha was also not a difficult task.
But today Purno faces the biggest challenge of his entire political career.
In 2013 assembly election, Purno’s NPP could win just two seats. The Congress won 13 seats, out of 24 in Garo hills. Five other independents have joined the Congress.
Purno has pushed his card to accuse Mukul and the Congress government for harboring insurgency in Garo hills. Mukul counters by saying, “Purno has no issues, so he is trying to fool the people. Garo hills will not buy his word anymore”.
Purno claims that he is back to active politics after a gap of six and half years to resolve the ongoing chaos in Garo hills, due to insurgency. He is even trying to connect with mass by raising his pitch for creation of separate Garoland state.
On Garoland, he said, “It is a question of pride and identity”.
The duel between Purno and Mukul has gone to such extremes that the uninitiated could very well be led to think that this election is a fight between them. Purno’s small frame shakes like it always has as he laughs away such observations.
But Mukul responds by saying, “It is a fight to ensure young, educated Congress candidate Daryl Momin wins”.
It is for the people of the troubled Garo Hills to answer when they cast their votes.(SP News)
