From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Former Information and Broadcasting minister and veteran Congress leader Ambika Soni will head the much-awaited screening committee of the party to finalise candidates for the upcoming Meghalaya Assembly elections.
The screening committee, which was announced on Monday night, will also have P C Chako, a veteran leader and the general secretary in-charge of the state as a member. Both Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president DD Lapang are the members of the committee.
However, Congress sources on Monday indicated that the list is unlikely to be out before the middle of next month.
The sources also attributed the delay in the announcement of the list of candidates to the problem of many ticket aspirants in majority of the constituencies.
The party is the party is facing the problem of ‘multiple choice’ in almost all constituencies in Garo Hills.
In Khasi-Jaintia Hills out of 36 seats there are problems in five only, sources said.
But even in these five seats the party will face a tough time while making the final call.
“But some strong aspirants including sitting MLAs will remain the sore thumb of the Congress if ticket distribution is not done on rational ground,” the sources said.
The Congress wants to release its list of candidates for all the 60 seats at a time after final approval by AICC president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Following an unwritten understanding prominent factions are not intervening in each other’s territory to show their one-upmanship, sources said.
The screening committee is scheduled to meet in the coming days to look into the list of the party candidates prepared by the MPCC Election Committee
Both Lapang and Dr Sangma are members of the Election Committee.
The four observers who had visited most of the controversial constituencies have submitted their report and MPCC has also finalized its list.
After conducting a detailed study of the ticket aspirants, the screening committee would submit the list to Central Election Committee which will take a final decision in consultation with the party high command.
The ticket aspirants comprise 11 women including the chief minister’s wive Dikanchi D Shira.
Another aspirant, Pelcy Snaitang, is the only office bearer of the Meghalaya Mahila Congress Committee. Besides, urban affairs minister and the lone woman MLA in the assembly, Ampareen Lyngdoh, MPCC working president Deborah C Marak, Meghalaya State Commission for Women chairperson Roshan Warjri, lecturer Eureka Lyngdoh, Irin Lyngdoh, Arlene Sangma and few others are among the women aspirants.