By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Shella Block Congress Committee (SBCC) has landed in a crisis with majority of its members threatening to resign en masse if the party high command does not respect the recommendations of the block on the allocation of the party ticket for the upcoming State election for the Shella constituency.
The Block Congress members issued the warning after reports surfaced that a section of the party leadership were pushing for awarding the ticket to former DRDA Project Director Jropsing Nongkhlaw who is believe to be close aide of Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H Pala.
The Block Congress had recommended the name of ‘Strawberry Man’ Leston Wanswett as the official nominee for the party ticket after two elections of the primary unit conducted by the East Khasi Hills District Congress Committee (DCC) for recommendation of name for the party ticket to contest from Shella constituency.
The SBCC members are contemplating to meet MPCC president DD Lapang in the coming week to air their resentment over the ‘rampant politicking’ by a section of the party leadership in the process of allotment of the party ticket.
While speaking to a group of reporters here on Sunday, a section of the SBCC members alleged that they have specific inputs about attempts by a section of the senior party leadership who are lobbying with the Central party leadership in Delhi to award the ticket to Nongkhlaw.
“We are also upset that senior party leaders are demeaning the recommendations of the SBBC,” the members said.
Maintaining that Wanswett is the best candidate to contest from the party in the upcoming election, the SBCC members said that the Block Congress had recommended the name of Wanswett not once but twice to the DCC.
The SBCC members also raised questions on the decision of the DCC to put the election of the primary unit of the SBCC on hold on two occasions, one in January and again in September.
Stating that they strongly suspect that some leaders in the DCC are making monetary gains through holding of these elections at the primary unit, the SBCC members alleged that the second election was held since the DCC leaders had hoped that the outcome would be in favour of Nongkhlaw.
It may be mentioned that during first election held in January last, Wanswett had convincingly defeated his opponents – Nongkhlaw and a young businessman Pynthymmaibor Chyne.
Out of the 1038 members who voted in the election held on January 6, Wanswett had secured 803 votes. Nongkhlaw was a distant second with 208 votes while Chyne could manage only 31 votes.