Shillong, June 27: Senior-most party leaders of the NPP from its bastion of Garo Hills have dashed off to Shillong to meet and impress upon party president and chief minister Conrad K Sangma on a potential candidate for the ensuing Gambegre by-election, a seat left open after Congress MLA Saleng A Sangma won the Tura Lok Sabha seat.

Making a beeline with NPP leaders and ministers are as many as ten aspirants for the party ticket.

In a meeting with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma at his official residence in Shillong on Wednesday evening, the ten ticket aspirants agreed to stand by the party decision when it comes to announcement of the candidate pledging to give support and work for the victory of the NPP in the by-poll.

While names of former and sitting MDCs of the GHADC and other party leaders have been doing the rounds as potential candidates, word is out from the grassroot workers that a new face and a strong candidate is the need of the hour, if the NPP is to snatch Gambegre from the Congress.

The Congress has been on a resurgence eversince it won the Tura Lok Sabha seat from the family of Late P A Sangma- after 47 long years.

In such a scenario, and with the feedback from the party’s core grassroot workers, consensus is building around the candidature of Mehtab Chandi A Sangma- wife of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.

The advantage for the 39 year old spouse of Sangma is that she happens to be a fresh face in Gambegre with no political baggage.

If selected by the party, it could be a masterstroke for the NPP given that arch rival Trinamool is preparing the ground for its sitting Dengnakpara MDC Sadhiarani M Sangma, wife of Zenith Sangma, to contest the seat.

Sadhiarani had come second in last year’s assembly polls in Gambegre.

Then there is former minister, ex MLA of Williamnagar and current working president of Congress, Deborah Marak, as one of the potential candidates of the Congress.

With heavyweights throwing their hat into the ring, the B level “aspirants” have started rallying behind the party leadership to send out a message of “unity”.

There had been a couple of potential names for the NPP ticket, notably, sitting GHADC MDCs Linekar K Sangma of Nogorpara constituency and Rakesh A Sangma of Babelapara MDC constituency.

But, Rakesh’s embarrassing defeat in last year’s state assembly elections at the hands of Saleng Sangma ended any possible political rehabilitation, this time.

Rakesh was relegated to third position in the assembly elections from Gambegre, falling even behind TMC candidate and sitting Dengnakpara MDC Sadhiarani M Sangma.

Then there was talk of Nogorpara MDC Linekar K Sangma doing the gossip circles- given that elder brother IanBotham K Sangma happened to be the MLA of Salmanpara, a neighbouring constituency of Gambegre that shares a few areas with the district council jurisdiction.

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But given the shock defeat of Agatha K Sangma by Saleng A Sangma with a margin of 1.55 lakh votes in this parliamentary election, the NPP wasn’t going to take any chances.

After all, it has become a prestige battle, and a personal one, for Conrad K Sangma and the NPP.

Read: Police arrest all six involved in public flogging of Woman in West Garo Hills

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