‘Allot ticket to Rymbai or face poll boycott’

From Eric Ranee

NONGPOH: A day after the State Election Committee (SEC) of Congress party failed to shortlist its candidate for Umroi constituency, the Umroi Assembly Youth Congress Committee (UACC) has threatened to boycott the upcoming Assembly polls if the sitting legislator SW Rymbai does not get the ticket.

A tug of war for Congress ticket is on between the sitting legislator and Ngaitlang Dhar, a coal baron from Jaintia Hills.

Rymbai enjoys the support of the Umroi Block Congress Committee.

However, a highly placed source in Congress said the party is planning to give ticket to Dhar.

Even Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, while speaking to reporters after the SEC meeting on Wednesday, hinted that all the sitting Congress MLAs might not get tickets this time.

Meanwhile, in a get together organized by the Umroi Assembly Congress Committee at Bhoirymbong on Thursday, the leaders of the Committee urged the SEC to allot ticket to Rymbai.

Members of the Umroi Assembly Youth Congress Committee, while participating in the meeting

threatened to boycott the upcoming Assembly elections and organize mass rallies “if the Congress fails to field Rymbai from Umroi.” Briefing media persons after the meeting, the UACC vice president LR Lyngkhoi and chief adviser of the Youth Congress, Sunlight Shadap said people here want to see Rymbai as Congress candidate. The UBCC had officially nominated Rymbai for the party ticket since Dhar is not a member of any primary unit of the congress committee in the constituency,” the duo said.

Dhar had earlier claimed that his name was recommended by the UBCC for the Congress ticket. The UBCC leader, however, said, “How can we recommend Dhar’s name when he is not a member of any unit of the party in the constituency?”