From Our Correspondent
JIRANG: The tug of war for the Congress ticket in Jirang Assembly Constituency (AC) is now between Comfort Dolloi, a local resident and Barnabas Nangbah, considered close to Union Minister of State for Water Resources and Minority Affairs Vincent Pala, after the third contender Lambok Mylliemngap withdrew from the race for the party ticket.
According to sources, Mylliemngap decided to contest as an independent candidate after the Congress high command ordered the State Congress Committee to invite fresh applications from aspiring candidates. “Mylliemngap took it as an insult as he was already recommended by the Jirang Block Congress Committee (JBCC) and the Ri Bhoi District Congress Committee (RBCC) for the ticket,” sources said.
Party sources also divulged that Mylliemngap has played ‘every card under the sun’ in order to secure the recommendation from the block and district committees and he was indirectly responsible for the dissolution of the then JBCC under the leadership of former Jirang MDC William Mynsong and constitution of the adhoc body of the JBCC.
However, sources informed that the then body of the JBCC and the adhoc body of the JBCC have been merged together recently for the interest of the party.
Meanwhile, political observers say that the people favoured a local resident of Jirang constituency to be their elected representative in the next Assembly elections and the same gives Dolloi an edge over Nangbah who is a non-local and new to the political scene.
The reason behind the people of Jirang favouring a local candidate is perhaps because of the fact that the present legislator JD Rymbai has done little for the constituency in the past 25 years of his regime as an MLA.
Thus any wrong move by the Congress in allotment of ticket could lead to the downfall of the party in the constituency and the INC supporters might favour NCP Candidate S Sohtun who is also a local resident of the constituency.
Meanwhile, the United Democratic Party (UDP) which is yet to allot the ticket for the upcoming Assembly elections has two contenders eying the candidature, viz. Wonder Lapang and P Thangkhiew. While Thangkhiew is a local resident, Lapang hails from Umroi village.
Political observers say that if the Congress allots the ticket to Nangbah and the UDP favours Lapang, it could prove advantageous to Sohtun. Even if the UDP allots the ticket to Thangkhiew and the Congress still favours Nangbah then again Sohtun might steal the show as he is comparatively more experienced than Thangkhiew. Thus, it would all depend on whether the Congress party listens to the voice of the people and favours a local candidate or offers the coveted candidature to Nangbah, considered close to Pala, political observers asserted.