MG-POLL-TURA

Agatha hopeful that people of Tura have not forgotten PA
Sangma
    Shillong, Mar 24 (PTI) Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno
A Sangma passed away three years ago, but his daughter Agatha
Sangma, the ruling NPP candidate for the Tura Lok Sabha seat
is hopeful that the people of the constituency have not
forgotten the 'tallest' leader while campaigning for the seat.
    Agatha is pitted against Leader of the Opposition in
the Meghalya Assembly and senior Congress leader Mukul Sangma
in the Tura seat, the election for which will be held on April
11.
    On the campaign trails in the five Garo Hills district
of Meghalaya which fall under the Tura seat, Agatha and her
brothers - Chief Minister Conrad Sagma and Home Minister James
Sangma - remind the voters the legacy of their father P A
Sangma and how he devoted his life for the Garos.
    "I am here to serve the people. I am grateful for the
opportunity given to me by the party, the NPP. I hope the
people of Garo Hills will never forget my father for the
contribution he has made for them," Agatha told PTI.
    P A Sangma had represented Tura Parliamentary
constituency for over four decades as its MP.
    Agatha is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha seat
she had once represented in 2009 when her father returned to
the state politics.
    Conrad Sangma won the byelection to the Tura seat in
2016 after P A Sangma died, but he resigned last year when he
won the South Tura Assembly bypoll after he became the chief
minister of Meghalaya.
    Tura seat has been the stronghold of P A Sangma and
his family.
    Conrad admitted that the NPP managed to wrestle the
seat from the might of the ruling Congress in 2014 and 2016 in
Meghalaya.
    "We won the elections in our worst. People of Garo
Hills believe in our leader P A Sangma. It is all the more
important that we take his mission forward and try to achieve
the development goal for the people," Conrad told media
persons at the sideline of a rally at North Garo Hills
recently.
    Agatha, who filed her nomination for the Tura seat on
Friday said "the focus has always been development. The
mandate will reflect the faith the people have on the
government. There are a lot of development issues that we will
be working together with the NPP leading the government in the
state and I as the MP."
    Tura seat is important for the ruling dispensation and
the Opposition Congress knows this too well when it nominated
Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma to contest from Tura.
    Mukul is also former chief minister of Meghalaya.
    "The party knows that Mukul Sangma is the best bet to
represent the Garo people in Parliament. He is a seasoned
politician and has proved his mettle in the state when he led
the pro-people government for 10 years," Meghalaya Congress
president C Lyngdoh said.
    He alleged that the present government under the
leadership of Conrad K Sangma has "failed" on many fronts and
is only good in lips service.
    The war of words between Conrad and Mukul has also
escalated in the otherwise quiet Garo Hills region each
accusing the other of incompetence to lead the people.
    In his rallies across North Garo Hills district last
week, Conrad slammed the former chief minister over the
"missions" he introduced since assuming office in 2010.
    "He (Mukul) had introduced several missions in the
state which led to financial burdens. He was least bothered to
executive the mission properly, and the programs failed. Mukul
has done all these without any research or papers based on
mapping the skills of the farmers," Conrad said.
    Reacting to this, Mukul said, "Conrad will need plenty
of homework to do before he can understand about Agar
(aquilaria malaccensis) plantation in private land and its
positive economic ramifications.
    The Leader of Opposition said it is with his
initiative that a legal provision for harvesting agar plant
for its commercial exploitation is now available.
    The former chief minister also slammed Agatha for her
"failure" to raise the issues concerning the common man in the
Garo Hills during her tenure as MP.
    "What was Agatha doing as an elected MP of Tura not
voicing for the voiceless people who have voted her? Is this
why people of Garo Hills elected her to have a vacation in New
Delhi? People need to see the facts and not believe in the
promises and lies of Conrad and his siblings," Mukul said. PTI
JOP
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