Meghalaya: GHADC Chairman steps down to contest for post of CEM

TURA, Jul 7: Amidst political imbroglio in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), chairman of the council Boston Marak stepped down from the post today.

Marak, who is a member of district council from Nogorpara constituency informed that his decision to contest for the post of Chief Executive Member (CEM) was the reason behind the resignation.

Members of the council are currently waiting for the Governor of Meghalaya Banwarilal Purohit to issue a notification for the election to the post of CEM.

Recently. the governor had rejected the Cabinet proposal to withdraw the administrator's rule since the chairman of the GHADC, who was projected as the next CEM by 15 MDCs had not resigned from his post.

"The district council has to be restored, so in the interest of the council I have resigned from the post of chairman", Boston said.

In March, Denang T. Sangma had resigned from the post of CEM just ahead of the vote on the no-confidence motion against him. His resignation led to huge ruckus in the council and the budget could not be passed and the administrative rule of the Governor was imposed in the council.

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The council's executive committee which was led by National People's Party (NPP) – BJP and Garo National Council (GNC) collapsed within a year of its winning the poll. The resignation of Denang had led to the dissolution of the executive committee.

Thereafter, defection from one party to another started when five members of the NPP – BJP – GNC led coalition, spearheaded by Boston Marak  had defected to Congress camp.

Boston Marak, who is the nephew of NPP founder late Purno Agitok Sangma,  had won the election on an NPP ticket and has shifted his loyalty to the Congress camp.

In 2015 GHADC polls the Congress had won just 7 seats and was sitting in the opposition in the house of 29 elected members.

The Congress camp claims to have mustered the number to form the council's executive committee and is awaiting Governor's go ahead to stake claim in the council.

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Those who switched allegiance to the opposition camp were senior executive member Winnison Marak of the GNC, Dhormonath Sangma, who had earlier deserted the Congress and joined NPP, Ismail Marak and Righteous Marak, who joined BJP from their parent parties Congress and NCP, respectively.

It is still not clear as to who would stake claim for the new executive committee though the Congress camp is upbeat.

Boston had rebelled against his own party NPP and against his own cousin Tura MP Conrad K. Sangma of not heeding to the demands for a change in leadership at the district council.

After the council ruckus Boston was suspended from NPP.

NPP had won 10 seats in the 2015 GHADC polls relegating the Congress to second place with seven seats. GNC had won three seats, BJP 1, NCP 1 and Independents seven. Following the crisis in district council in the past three months, there has been several switching of parties and loyalties though names of the members are not clear it is expected that Boston Marak will play a pivotal role in the formation of the next executive committee of the district council.

In June, the Governor had made a query as to whether Marak had resigned from the post of chairman of GHADC before giving his nod to Cabinet's recommendation to withdraw administrator's rule.

TNT News