Tura, Feb 2: Two days of nominations have passed with just two candidates filing their papers for the ensuing assembly polls on February 27th.
While the inaugural day for nominations on January 31st drew a blank, on Wednesday there were two candidates, in two different districts, who put up their papers for the contest.
One of the strong contenders for the Dalu (Barengapara) seat in the West Garo Hills border facing Bangladesh, Sarbha R Marak filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate before the returning officer at Tura DC office on Wednesday afternoon.
Sarbha is a well known face among the constituents of Dalu and was the frontrunner for the All India Trinamool Congress party ticket which instead went to another candidate.
The second candidate to file his nomination papers was advocate Walseng M Sangma (41) for Rongjeng constituency in East Garo Hills. Walseng filed his nomination as an Independent candidate before returning officer Reuben Momin at the Williamnagar DC office.
A practising advocate in the Meghalaya High Court in Shillong, Walseng is currently said to be the biggest challenger to sitting NPP legislator Jim M Sangma.
In fact, in the last assembly elections of 2018, Walseng lost to NPP’s Jim Sangma by a margin of 550 votes.
In Dalu,Sarbha R Marak is pitted against sitting NPP MLA Brening A Sangma.
But, the BJP could play the deciding factor in Dalu depending on whom they allocate the party ticket to. Sitting BJP MDC, first ever representative of the party in the GHADC, Pramod Koch is a strong contender besides Akki Sangma, son of BJP vice president Ronald Momin.
