By Our Reporter
Shillong: Under attack from AICC and in the absence of the ailing party president, the Congress party in Meghalaya seems to have lost steam after having undertaken a hyper-active Block election process to identify prospective candidates for the 2013 polls which are exactly a year away.
The beleaguered Congress party had for the first time held elections for selecting candidates more than a year ahead of the Assembly polls. When this came to the notice of the AICC, the MPCC was on the back-foot even as it was told to stop this unscheduled candidate selection process.
But by the time the AICC got wind of the elections the process in Khasi-Jaintia Hills had been completed. And now neither the MPCC nor the so called elected candidates now know what the future holds for them.
AICC general secretary in charge of Meghalaya, Dr Dhaniram Shandil, sent a letter to the working president, Ms Deborah Marak, on January 25 to stop the so called elections immediately. But the letter is still lying unattended in the Shillong party office since Ms Marak is in Garo Hills.
Dr Friday Lyngdoh though back in Shillong after long stay in CMC Vellore due to his illness is yet to resume office. In the absence of party top brass very few leaders are visiting the party office which often has a deserted look even in what can be called as an election year.
The AICC leaders who were rushing to Meghalaya during the peak of the dissidence in the party also find no reason to come here now since there is stability in the Government.
Besides, elections in five states including Uttar Pradesh has also kept them busy.
The AICC was taken aback at reports that some of the “elected” candidates were not even party primary members and few others joined the party only recently. Some candidates allegedly are turncoats from the UDP which is the main opposition party in the Khasi-Jaintia hills during elections.
Problems did not crop up in the constituencies with sitting MLAs as they are likely to be renominated. But there were visible tugs of war in the constituencies which are undergoing changes due to delimitation.
The decision to go for polls for identifying candidates was taken at a meeting headed by the party president but now no one wants to touch it.
By the time the AICC intervened it was too little too late since those who were not nominated by their respective Blocks are contemplating walking out and contesting against the so-called ‘official’ candidate of the Congress.
Instead of being engaged in a letter war the AICC leaders should have come to the State and settled the issue once and for all,” one top state party leader told The Shillong Times.
MPCC acting president Ms Marak, however, had a different view on the entire tussle between the AICC and the MPCC on the elections for selecting candidates for the upcoming 2013 elections.
Ms Marak on Wednesday said, “There is no confusion between the AICC and the MPCC over the issue.”
However, reacting to a query, she stated that the issue is an internal matter of the Congress and the party knows how to tackle such problems.
She also denied reports that no office bearers of the MPCC are visiting the Congress Bhawan in the city.
“I am going to office and all my office bearers and staff are coming to the Congress Bhawan,” Ms Marak added.
