KAAC election: Political parties announce candidates

Our Correspondent

Diphu, May 20 (EMN): Several political parties announced the names of their candidates for the upcoming Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) elections on Friday.

Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), a regional party in the three hill districts of Assam, has announced the names of party candidates to contest in the ensuing Member of Autonomous Council (MAC) KAAC election comprising of two hill district of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong.

Secretary Daniel Teron said that both the Congress and All Party Hills Leaders Conference (APHLC) will be held totally responsible if the BJP comes to power as both the parties did not heed to the appeal made by ASDC to put up a united fight against the BJP.

Teron said, “The strength and positive character of ASDC is that the party has withstood the test of time, waded through sunshine and rain during the past 22 years of being in the opposition without surrendering, unlike other organisations and leaders”.

The ASDC also have experience of being a ruling party.  This is the strength and the capacity of the ASDC and its leadership. Even under murky political atmosphere, ASDC once again firmly resolves to take part in this 2022 KAAC election to carry forward the autonomous state movement through electoral battle, he added.

Attacking the APHLC, Teron said, “APHLC being a one man army party, could not assess and analyse head or tail of electoral politics and thought that it could go alone to score electoral battle, which is not at all possible in the given political condition. The APHLC is also suffering from lack of internal democracy in the party. Therefore, the need of the hour is to democratise the APHLC itself”.  

About Congress, Teron said that most of the Congress leaders in Karbi Anglong, including the former HAD minister and president, Karbi Anglong District Congress Committee, Sum Ronghang are recent converts from BJP.

Out of a total of 26 seats, candidates for 19 seats were announced, while the remaining seven seats will be announced at a later date, party sources said.

CPI (ML) Hills Party Committee (HPC) of Karbi Anglong also announced the names of candidates for 11 out of the 26 total MAC seats  for upcoming election.

Congress workers protest demanding party ticket for Surendra Signnar

Congress leaders and workers of Borjan Mandal Congress Committee (MCC), expressing their displeasure over the selection of party candidate for Borjan Member of Autonomous Council (MAC) for the KAAC election, assembled infornt of Karbi Anglong District Congress Committee (KADCC) office and demonstrated against the party higher ups and demanded a ticket for Surendra Signnar on Friday.

The party workers alleged that former Bokajan MLA, Klengdoon Engti, taking into consideration the wishes of party workers, had placed a candidate of his own choice (Kareng Rongpipi) in place of Singnar.

President, Borjan MCC Borsing Engti said, “In order for Congress to win from Borjan, we want a strong candidate and Surendra Singnar is a fit candidate for us. Singnar is the only leader who stood firm even when Congress was in crisis in Borjan. Other than Singnar, we are not going to accept any other candidate”.

If Singnar loses a ticket, then the Congress of Borjan will not be responsible for defeat of the election and urged party higher ups to give ticket to Singnar, Engti said.

On the other hand, the party workers of Lumbajong MCC also opposed the candidature of Ratul Teron.

Expressing their displeasure, the vice president of Lumbajong MCC Mojasing Tisso said, “We want Rangsina Hanse, who is an efficient and capable leader, as party candidate from Lumbajong MAC constituency. Giving a ticket to Teron means we are not going to cooperate with him. We urge the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and KADCC to reconsider their decision and give tickets to Hanse”.

From Lumbajong MAC constituency there are six candidates seeking tickets. They are -Rangsina Hanse, Hukleswar Bey, Jona Terang, Ratul Teron, Jemson Ronghang and Babusing Timung.

Meanwhile, the APCC has announced candidates for 22 MAC seats.