By Our Reporter
Shillong: The State Congress which hopes to improve its current position in the 2013 Asembly polls, is suffering from the problem of plenty when it comes to leadership and also on the number of candidates vying for Congress tickets.
The Congress at present has 28 legislators and both Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and party president DD Lapang are hopeful that the party would be able to cross the figure of 30 in the 60 member House to form the government on its own after the 2013 elections.
However, too many contenders for the post of the next leader and too many candidates trying to get party pickets are likely to spoil the chances of Congress getting absolute majority.
Yet again a coalition government with other likeminded parties especially the regional parties will be the end result.
Besides incumbent Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, probable leaders who are emerging include Lapang, senior minister RC Laloo, Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh and Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope.
During the demand for a change of leadership last year initiated by a section of Congress legislators opposing Mukul, all these names had surfaced from time to time.
Though there were reports that Union Minister of State for Water Resources and Minority Affairs and Shillong MP Vincent Pala was also a contender for the post, he has decided to wait for an opportune moment.
Dr Sangma recently indicated there is a need to have continuity in governance so that the government can achieve the programmes and policies which have already been launched.
This means that Dr Sangma desires to continue in chair after the next Assembly elections though there are many other contenders for the top post.
Though Lapang was ousted from power by Dr Sangma two years ago, the leadership issue is not a closed chapter for Lapang and his supporters as a demand in this regard can arise after the elections in 2013 depending on the number of loyalists each leader will get.
Besides the leadership tussle, another worry for the Congress is the large number of candidates who are willing to contest from all the 60 Assembly seats.
A senior Congress leader said that there is a two-fold challenge for the Congress. One is to check the tussle for the leadership and another is the large number of Congress aspirants for the tickets unlike other political parties in the State.
Sources said that in the tussle for leadership in the Congress, one may put up dummy candidates or support a rival candidate in a clandestine way to defeat the other during the election.
Some powerful candidates who do not get the party tickets may also use the same strategy, sources added.