Meghalaya bypoll: After hate speech, Mukul Sangma's wife draws EC's ire, receives notice again

The Election Commission has issued a notice to Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma's wife Dikkanchi D Shira who is contesting on a Congress ticket in tomorrow's Lok Sabha bypoll in Tura for allegedly campaigning after the stipulated time in her husband's constituency yesterday. "We have issued a notice to the Congress candidate for campaigning beyond the stipulated time fixed. She was given time to reply by tomorrow," Chief Election Officer F R Kharkongor said.

He said the EC officer concerned in South West Garo Hills district had issued the notice to the candidate. The election agent of the Congress party has already submitted a reply to the returning officer Pravin Bakshi today, a party spokesperson said. 

Shira, who is contesting against former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma's youngest son Conrad K Sangma in the bypoll, had earlier been slapped with a notice for allegedly making a hate-speech during her campaign.
The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of P A Sangma earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, in view of the IMD forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in certain pockets in Meghalaya along with Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the next few days, South West Garo Hills district election officer Ram Singh alerted the polling personnel, most of whom have already departed for their respective polling stations, to take necessary measures.