Ahead of next week's Megalaya elections, Rahul Gandhi campaigned in the Garo hills
Ahead of next week's assembly elections in Meghalaya, Congress president Rahul Gandhi returned to the state for the second spell of his campaign, dedicating one day for Garo hills.
The area is considered a Congress stronghold, with the party winning 13 of the 29 seats here in the last elections to the 60-member Meghalaya assembly. But with the BJP launching an all-out attempt this time to expand its footprint in the Northeast, the Congress is keen on retaining the hill state.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who has won the Ampati seat in the Garo hills four times on a Congress ticket, has filed his candidature from two seats this time, a first in his political career spanning nearly 25 years. He is also contesting from Songsak. Tribal voters in Tura -- the main city in the Garo hills -- who have been traditional Congress loyalists seem to be in two minds this time.
"We want a new chief minister. The present chief minister does not work for Tura, only concentrates for his constituency " Sushanta S Sangma, a vegetable vendor told NDTV.
Non-tribals though are still rooting for the Congress. "From the time of our forefathers, we have voted for the Congress. I have voted for the party since PA Sangma's days," said Inashal Sheikh.
"The BJP tried to buy the church, they even want to buy God," Rahul Gandhi said at back to back rallies in the Garo hills, Jowai and Shillong over the past two days.
Late Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma -- one of the tallest leaders from the Garo Hills -- has split loyalties -- between his old party Congress and his new one, the National People's Party (NPP). His son Conrad Sangma represents Tura in the Lok Sabha. Although the NPP is part of the BJP-led alliance at the centre and shares power with the BJP in Manipur, it is contesting the Meghalaya assembly polls alone. Prime minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to campaign in the Garo hills on Thursday.
When PM Modi came to power in 2014, Congress ruled five of the seven states in the Northeast. Now, it holds power in Mizoram and Meghalaya. Voting will take place in Meghalaya on February 27, the results will be out on March 3.