From CK Nayak
New Delhi: Riddled with suppressed mistrust, dissension and several other factors, Meghalaya Congress has decided to form a Steering Committee with top leaders to sail through the extremely choppy waters of elections which are less than a year away.
The Committee is likely to have both the Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and the PCC president Dr Friday Lyngdoh and may even have a Chairman and few other members who will be fielding and campaigning for the early 2013 Assembly polls in consultation with the AICC.
It will be small, effective and representative in nature, AICC sources told The Shillong Times here on Thursday.
The State Congress had already plunged into election mode with the leadership directing various block committees to submit the list of party candidates for the 2013 Assembly elections before February 15 next. Informatively, the main rival NCP in the Garo Hills have already selected their candidates well in advance.
But in the Congress there is division even on formation of such Steering Committee within the party putting the AICC in a fix. Some of the top party leaders have either left Congress or are in hibernation after long spell of failed dissidence movements.
Few others are either sick or not trusted to lead from the front in the 2013 polls. On top of all odds, delimitation of constituencies has sent many top sitting legislators into a tizzy.
Friday came and camped here this week for a meeting with the all-powerful Sonia Gandhi but could not get time due to her illness. After that the PCC president himself fell ill and is under treatment.
Once the party enters into actual election mode after the festivities of next month, there will be a rat race for tickets. Few on top will also try to position their own supporters while rivals will do their best to scuttle the same.
Official notifications for the elections are due in the later part of next year and thereafter the party will formally enter into poll mode in the New Year itself.
On the part of the Government it has to wrap up developmental work to show case the same to the electorate since virtually nothing noteworthy has been done since the State saw as many as four Chief Ministers in as many years.
Even sitting ministers are worried about their fates and are virtually having sleepless nights, party sources said. But the party is likely to field as many sitting legislators where win ability chances are more it added.
But party sources also said that despite being in the majority, the party would still continue with its coalition partners for the overall development of the State. The now on now off coalition will also put the party in an awkward position since it has to fight it out even with some of the top incumbent ministers of other parties.