From CK Nayak
New Delhi: Congress will announce its candidates for the upcoming Assembly election in Meghalaya on Monday.
The list, which was finalized on Saturday, now awaits the party president Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s seal of approval.
It is understood that candidates for the five contentious seats have also been finalised.
“There was unanimity on most of the seats,” Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma told The Shillong Times on Saturday.
When questioned about the delay in announcement of the list, he said the same became unavoidable “since in several seats there was more than one aspirant.”
“The Congress is a big and grand old party and that is why there were so many aspirants in the race for the party ticket,” Dr Sangma said.
He also made it clear that the party is united and confident of retaining power on its own. The whole process of selection of candidates was done in a democratic manner, he said.
Meanwhile, the MPCC chief DD Lapang, Forest Minister Prestone Tynsong and former PCC chief OL Nongtdu left for Shillong on Saturday morning.
However, Dr Sangma, MPCC Working President Mrs Deborah Marak and former minister Sayeedullah Nongrum stayed back. Dr Sangma will leave for Shillong on Sunday.