Chief Minister to face the heat for loss in Tura
New Delhi: A Congress Working Committee meet scheduled on Monday in Delhi is likely to be a stormy affair going into the reasons for the worst-ever election debacle of the party.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma who would attend the CWC meeting is facing the heat and might have some explaining to do for the loss of the party in the Tura seat, according to party sources. Sangma arrived in Delhi on Saturday afternoon while Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president D.D. Lapang would arrive on Monday.
The faction ridden MPCC is in for a churning with the party not being able to wrest the seat from NPP’s Purno A Sangma though sitting MP of the party Vincent H Pala retained his seat amid accusations of serious infighting even at the top level.
The Congress party stood as a divided house during campaigning with different factions working against own party candidates. It was the toughest Lok Sabha polls where each seat was a matter of survival for the century- old party.
That Purno who Congress thought to have marginalized after the President’s election and state assembly polls could stage a comeback to national politics as part of the BJP-led NDA has rattled party high command. His presence will have a cascading effect on the state politics, observers feel.
At the CWC meeting, the Chief Minister is likely to explain the ground realities like inordinate delay in announcing the candidates. Hardly two weeks were available for candidates before filing nomination.
Lapang too is likely to meet top AICC leaders and discuss the state of affairs.
The meeting of the CWC, the party’s apex decision making body has been convened on Monday even as questions were being raised over the leadership of Rahul Gandhi as well as the over-all election strategy of the party, besides the performance of the UPA-II government led by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
Special invitee to the CWC Anil Shastri rued that some of the Congress candidates left the party after they were given tickets, which calls for a serious look at the way tickets were given. No rule or tradition was followed before ticket distribution, sources said.
As several Union Cabinet ministers lost in their respective seats miserably, a senior party leader said that there was a total disconnect of the ministers with party workers. Party hoppers, turn coats, persons with criminal background and several times defeated persons were given tickets, they said.
A general view in the Congress is that the issue of price rise and corruption went against the party and the situation was exploited to the hilt by Narendra Modi by tapping the anti-incumbency sentiment.