Finally the list of Congress candidates for the 2013 election is out. As always there are heartburns galore following the final declaration of tickets. Many wannabes are disappointed, angry and unaware of the yardsticks used to decide their fates. In every constituency where there is more than one contender for the Congress ticket, there is bound to be trouble. Rebel candidates are sure to contest and even try to defeat the official candidates. Each one is now eager to teach the Congress leaders a lesson that they cannot be ignored. Except for those in the charmed circles of the selection committee which includes the Meghalaya Congress chief, the Chief Minister and other senior members whose views may be sought and of course the All India Congress Committee (AICC) members in charge of Meghalaya, no one else is privy to the discussions that take place, following which decisions are taken about who gets or does not get the Congress ticket.
It would be naïve to imagine that Dr Mukul Sangma would smoothly sail ahead to become Meghalaya’s chief minister for the second time in a row. There are a few contenders and they are playing their cards close to their chests. Several combinations and permutations are being worked out even now as the elections approach. It would also be juvenile of us to believe that each of these contenders for the top job is there to serve the public. They are there for power, pelf, ego and nepotism. We have seen it all and do not expect things to change since the same old tired faces are being fielded, with the exception of a few constituencies where the some youthful visage has made its appearance. This is not an indictment on age but on non-performance.
One thing is clear though. Meghalaya cannot afford to have another five years of political instability or non-performance. People are losing patience and this is the era of the Flash Mob. We cannot be too sure that people are not going to throw out the next government before it’s time if it does not perform. Anything is possible in these seasons of discontent where more and more are taking to the streets to voice their frustrations at the failure of governance. We hope this bears heavily on the conscience of all those who have decided to contest this election. We also hope they have learnt lessons from the recent mob protests in Delhi and elsewhere