National People’s Party (NPP) leader and former legislator James PK Sangma filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections today before Secretary, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Malthus S. Sangma, who is the Returning Officer for this election. James PK Sangma is the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) candidate, and representatives from all alliance partners, including the UDP, BJP, HSPDP and independent MLAs, were present to extend their support to his candidature.

 

Speaking after filing his nomination, Sangma thanked the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Ministers Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar, MLAs and alliance partners for their support. He said that if elected as Rajya Sabha MP, he intends to be vocal in the Upper House on issues pending for a long time and matters that will emerge for the state in future. Describing his candidature as a collective decision of the MDA, he pledged to serve the people with dedication and sincerity.

 

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that if the NPP candidate is elected as the next Rajya Sabha MP, he will take up issues important to the people of the state and participate actively in legislation and debates in the Rajya Sabha. He further said that if elected, the new MP will pursue implementation of the Inner Line Permit and other pending matters concerning the state.

 

The Chief Minister added that the elected MP will play a critical role in raising issues taken up by the state government, including inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule, matters relating to the Sixth Schedule, FCRA Amendment, illegal immigration, Inner Line Permit, and the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act. The polling will be held on June 18th from 9 am to 4 pm, and counting of votes will begin at 5 pm the same day.