Meghalaya Assembly Polls 2023: BJP To Contest All 60 Seats, Releases List Of Candidates

The BJP has announced the list of all candidates for the 60-seat Meghalaya Assembly.

The BJP has announced the list of all candidates for the 60-seat Meghalaya Assembly.

Source : Getty

The BJP will contest all the 60 seats in the Meghalaya Assembly for the upcoming elections and has released the names of all candidates.

BJP announces a list of 60 candidates for the upcoming Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election pic.twitter.com/ozVkp2zlLl

— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2023

On Sunday, the Congress released its final list of candidates for the Meghalaya Assembly elections. Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee President and MP Vincent H Pala said the final list of five candidates was approved by the central election committee (CEC).

The three northeastern states, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura will be the first ones to go to the polls this year. Assembly elections are also to be held in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana later this year.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will be fighting the elections from South Tura in West Garo Hills district, while his deputy Prestone Tynsong will contest from Pynursla in East Khasi Hills district. 

The Trinamool Congress has already declared 52 candidates for the assembly election in the state. TMCs strength in the 60-member Assembly has come down to nine after threes of its MLAs left the party, reported news agency IANS. However, the TMC leaders claim that thousands of NPP and other party supporters, including some leaders have joined their party.

The NPP won 19 seats in the last elections and formed the MDA with the HSDP, UDP, PDF and BJP  taking away the chance to Congress for another term in the state.  

Its main contender in the state is the former CM Mukul Sangma-led TMC. Sangma along with 11 other MLAs of the Congress switched sides to join the TMC last year, making it the main opposition party in the state. Congress became the single-largest party after the 2018 elections, in which it won 21 seats. 

To hold violence-free polls, a series of administrative and awareness steps were taken in Meghalaya and Nagaland. The steps, which would continue until the poll process is over, include sensitisation workshops to be held in all the constituencies involving political parties, workers and eminent citizens highlighting the negative effects of violence on the persons, families, society and overall image of the state.

Following the request of the state authorities, the Union Home Ministry has provided large numbers of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), comprising Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force to these states.

Majority of the CAPF have already deployed in different parts of Nagaland and Meghalaya.