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Election to chairman post: Veteran KHADC member from Shella set to be elected to high post

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Shillong, July 23: A veteran member of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) who never changed his party is set to be elected as the new Chairman of the Council in the election to be held on Tuesday.
The veteran member from Shella constituency and former Deputy Chief Executive Member, Teiñwell Dkhar was fielded as candidate for the election to the post of Chairman by the coalition, Khasi Hills Democratic Alliance (KHDA).

Dkhar filed his nominations before the secretary (legislative) of the KHADC on Monday.

Dkhar’s opponent, Hadrian Lyngdoh also filed his nominations for the election to the post. Lyngdoh who is the member of the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) from Mawkyrwat constituency was fielded by the opposition coalition, People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA).

Dkhar was first elected in 2004 on United Democratic Party (UDP) ticket from Shella constituency. Since then, he did not look back, and continued to win in 2009 and 2014 district council elections from the same party (UDP).

As member of the UDP, Dkhar did not change his allegiance, unlike other members of the Council who frequently changed their political party.

In the absence of anti-defection law, members in the three Autonomous District Councils in Meghalaya shifted from one party to another at the drop of a hat.

After filing his nominations, Dkhar exuded confidence that he would come out successfully in the election.

“It was a walk over in the last two elections to the post of Chief Executive Member and Deputy Chairman as candidates from the other side abstained from the elections. I am confident that I will win this election,” Dkhar said.

When asked if he also expected a ‘walk over’ for him on Tuesday, Dkhar said, “it is upto to the opposition to decide whether they again wanted to abstain from the election to the post of Chairman.”

“We are ready to face the election, and we are confident of winning,” Dkhar said.

The coalition KHDA has 17 members in the 29-member House, where the opposition PDA has 12 members.

Meanwhile parliamentary party (PP) leader of the PDF in KHADC, James Ban Basaiawmoit said that the opposition PDA would not withdraw its candidate this time.

To a query whether the PDA would withdraw their candidate and abstain from the election as witnessed in the last two elections, Basaiawmoit said, “We have filed the nominations and we will go ahead with the election.”

Lyngdoh also said, “We have made up our mind that we will not withdraw. We have filed our nominations.”

But Lyngdoh believed that he will win as miracles will happen in his favour in the election to the Chairman post on Tuesday.

“Our numbers are sufficient. There are 12 of us, and we believe miracles will happen as 12 might change to 21.”

Taking a dig at KHADC chief executive member (CEM), Hispreaching Son Shylla, Lyngdoh termed him a “Judas” who betrayed the PDF.

“There were 12 MDCs of the KHADC who joined the PDF last year, but the number was reduced to 11 after Shylla quit the PDF and joined NPP. But I strongly believed that the three MDCs of PDF (James Sylliang, Blandingstar Warjri and Latiplang Kharkongor) will not turn out to be like Judas,” he said.

Sylliang, Warjri and Kharkongor are members of the PDF but they rebelled against the party supported the coalition KHDA led by Shylla.

Basaiawmoit also charged the CEM and the KHDA as pro-uranium.

“The uranium issue had died down in the past, but surprisingly, this issue is again alive now after Shylla took over as CEM of the Council,” Basaiawmoit alleged.

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