UDP claims Cong buying votes, to approach poll panel

After the recovery of Rs 23.80 lakh from the Congress functionaries’ hotel room on Sunday morning...

After the recovery of Rs 23.80 lakh from the Congress functionaries’ hotel room on Sunday morning, allegations against the party of using “money power” to woo voters are flying thick and fast in the run-up to the March 3 Assembly election in Meghalaya.

The biggest regional party, United Democratic Party (UDP) — the Congress coalition partner in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) Government — has accused the party of “distributing money” to voters in some of the urban constituencies. UDP’s East Khasi Hills president Bindo M Lanong, who is contesting from the Malki-Nongthymmai constituency, has accused the Congress of distributing “huge sum of

money” to the electorates in Mawblei, Madanryting and Mawkhar constituencies.

“The Congress has been playing the dirty political game for many years and we know the modus operandi. The party is distributing huge sum of money in Mawblei and Madanryting to buy votes,” Lanong said, adding the party would be meeting on February 28 to formally pass a resolution, to be sent to the Election Commission and the state Election Department urging them to take action against the Congress for splurging money to influence the voters in its favour.

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UDP Youth Wing president Allan Dkhar claimed a woman from Wahingdoh was paid Rs 2000 by the Congress for attending AICC general secretary Margaret Alva’s meeting at the residence of its Mawkhar candidate and present MLA Friday Lyngdoh, saying she could pay her children’s school fees. Dkhar further alleged the party also promised to pay more money for buying medicines for her ailing husband if she attended another meeting on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, terming Sunday’s recovery of the money from the AICC functionaries’ hotel room as a “desperate attempt” by the Congress to bounce back to power, Lanong warned if the Election Commission failed to take action against the Congress within a reasonable time-frame the party will consider going to court.

“The Congress’s tactics of splurging money have shrunken its political base in many States. They lost the election in Gujarat and

Himachal Pradesh and now the party will be wiped out from Meghalaya also,” Lanong said.

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Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday had lodged a complaint against the Congress to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for allegedly using ‘money power’ to entice voters to win the Assembly elections.