By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Infighting within the Congress party seems to have become the order of the day with various Block Congress Committees (BCCs) issuing ultimatum to the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on the issue of allotment of party tickets.
A day after members of the Shella Block Congress Committee (SBCC) threatened to resign en masse, members of the Umroi Block Congress Committee (UBCC) on Monday also threatened to resign en masse if the party ticket for the Umroi seat is not awarded to Jaintia coal baron Ngaitlang Dhar.
Dhar had been recommended by the UBCC as the official nominee for allotment of the party ticket, following an election conference held at Umroi on Saturday last.
During the conference, the UBCC members threatened to resign en masse infront of the MPCC observers if the ticket is not awarded to Dhar.
The UBCC members even asserted that they would support the coal baron even if he chose to contest the 2013 State polls from any other party.
Interestingly, the UBCC recommended the name of Dhar for the party ticket ahead of sitting Congress legislator Stanly Wiss Rymbai.
Commenting on this latest development in Umroi, a senior Congress leader, on condition of anonymity, told The Shillong Times that a new precedence would be created if Dhar is awarded the party ticket ahead of Rymbai who is the sitting legislator.
“As per the convention the first preference for the party ticket is always given to the sitting legislator. But as it stands at present, Rymbai is likely to lose the race for the party ticket. He (Rymbai) would only be hoping that Lapang would do the impossible and award him the ticket,” the Congress leader said.
It remains to be seen whether the MPCC asserts its authority and awards the ticket to sitting legislator Rymbai, who is known to be a close aide of Lapang, or gives in to the demand of the Block Committee members.
Earlier, the Shella Block Congress Committee members had threatened to resign en masse if the party high command failed to respect the recommendations of the block committee on the allocation of the party ticket for the upcoming State elections for 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 believed to be a 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.