Dr. D.R.L. Nonglait declared NPP candidate for Shillong LS by-poll

Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) president, Conrad Sangma on Thursday announced Dr. D.R.L. Nonglait as the party’s official candidate for the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha by-election.
The announcement was made after the party’s general executive meeting held here. The bye-election was necessitated after the demise of Voice of the People Party (VPP) representative to the Lok Sabha, Ricky Andrew Jones Syngkon. The MP passed away due to cardiac arrest at Mawiong in February this year. “Nonglait has been doing this throughout his life and career. I am confident that Nonglait will represent the interests of the state with dedication and be a strong voice for Meghalaya in Parliament,” Sangma said.
Nonglait, who teaches Khasi in the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and president of the Khasi Author’s Society (KAS), accepted the NPP’s offer to contest the by-election is significant following the NPP-led government officially recognised Khasi and Garo as official languages alongside English in Meghalaya.
“We at the party would use the electoral process to present the NPP’s ideology and vision for the state. And one of the ideologies of the party is to ensure the identity of the tribes is maintained, nurtured and protected,” Sangma said.
Asked about a possible sympathy wave in favour of the VPP, the NPP president said, “All elections are difficult. For us, every single party who are going to contest is a formidable force for us. We will do our best, work hard to ensure victory.”
The VPP on the other hand has nominated Batskhem Myrboh as its candidate. The BJP has yet to zero in on its candidate. The party said there are at least four to five aspiring candidates and one of these potential candidates will be fielded.
The Congress is expected to finalise its nominee for the Shillong Parliamentary constituency by May 15 with former Union Minister and State Congress president Vincent H Pala emerging as the frontrunner for the party ticket.
Meanwhile, Nonglait said that he entered electoral politics with the mission to include Khasi in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, to transform the education system from elementary to the higher secondary level, to uplift and spread higher and technical education.
“The National People’s Party has done many things to bring development to the State. One cannot say that everything is perfect, but every party has their own shortcomings and there’s no one party which is perfect,” Nonglait said.