SHILLONG, JAN 23: The ruling Congress is likely to announce the list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls to be held on February 27, before the Republic Day.
“We have conveyed our desires to the central leadership to complete the exercise before the Republic Day,” chief minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after the meetings of the Pradesh Election Committee and Manifesto Committee held here on Tuesday.
Sangma informed that the state party has completed the exercise at its level and the names will now be submitted before the central screening committee and accordingly announced the list with the approval of the AICC chief.
Asked, the chief minister however said there are one-two constituencies where the names of the candidates will be finalized within the next 24-48 hours.
With regards to the independent sitting legislators who have expressed their interest to join the Congress, Sangma said that the party has also examined their candidatures during the meeting and few will appear in the list.
The meeting also discussed about the probability of the Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma’s plans to contest the upcoming polls from Songsak as well as Ampati constituency.
The Pradesh Election Committee headed by the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Celestine Lyngdoh has screened applications of as many as 90 aspirants vying for the party ticket from all the 60 seats.
However after screening, the committee found that four Assembly seats – Pynthorumkhrah, Raliang, North Shillong, and South Shillong should be kept open so as to allow more people to apply for party ticket.
Lyngdoh told reporters that the papers of 90 applicants were checked during the day and the same would forwarded to the AICC screening committee for final approval.
Congress MP from Shillong and MPCC working president, Vincent H Pala said that the Pradesh election committee would send the names of ticket aspirants to the AICC screening committee headed by Oscar Fernandez as chairman.
“The names which we are finalizing today will be given to the AICC leader CP Joshi who will take it to the screening committee and PCC president and CLP leader Mukul Sangma will be called to Delhi for completing the formalities,” he said.
Pala said that the party would like to see that the AICC finalised the candidates within January 31.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has applied for party tickets from two seats, his home constituency, Ampati and Songsak constituency being held by the opposition National People’s Party (NPP) MLA, Nihim D. Shira.
Asked if the announcement of candidates by the Congress is late, Pala said that the question of announcing late does not arise because other parties have also not released their candidates.
“We have already told probable candidates to prepare and work in the ground, and this will not affect the party and the candidates,” Pala said.
Reacting to another query, Pala denied any division, saying those legislators who joined other parties have left the Congress party not because of division in the party but because of their aspiration.
State PCC chief, Lyngdoh said, “When they have aspirations and they could not do that in the Congress, they are free to leave.”
By Our Reporter
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