By Lamphrang Nongspung
MAWLONG (SHELLA): The Congress party has suffered a major setback ahead of the upcoming Assembly election with the dissolution of the Shella Block Congress Committee (SBCC).
The SBCC was dissolved in protest against the decision of the Central party leadership to deny ticket to senior party leader and SBCC president Leston Wanswett.
The SBCC was dissolved at a massive public meeting which was attended by thousands of party workers from the 36 party units of the Block Congress at Mawlong village on Friday.
Resolving to dissolve the SBCC, they all resolved to support Wanswett’s candidature as an Independent candidate from the constituency.
Earlier, majority of the Congress party leaders from Shella constituency expresses their disappointment over the decision of the AICC to deny ticket to Wanswett who had been responsible in organising and holding Block party unit for the past many years.
While criticizing the decision to allot the ticket to Jropsing Nongkhlaw, who is not even a member of the SBCC, the party leaders said that this decision to allot ticket to a person from outside the constituency is a blatant attempt on the part of the AICC to demean the voice of the majority in the constituency.
Questioning the decision of the State party leadership in holding of the election at the primary unit for recommending of the party candidate, the party leaders said that the holding of election at the primary unit was a futile exercise since the recommendation of the unit was not taken into consideration when the final decision for allotment of the ticket was taken.
“If weightage is given to recommendation of the primary unite, he (Wanswett) should have been given the ticket since he had won by a thumping majority in the two elections of the primary unit. It appears that someone from the State party leadership is making money by holding these elections,” the SBCC leadership stated. The SBCC leaders also questioned the political game of both MPCC president DD Lapang and former Union Minister of State Vincent H Pala for allotting the tickets to their close aides.
“Denial of the ticket to Wanswett might prove to be a blessing in disguise for him since no Congress candidate has ever won from Shella,” the party leaders added.
Wanswett also questioned the decision to deny him the party ticket, saying that he had been informed that his name was removed from the list at the very last minute and replaced by an individual who managed to get the ticket through lobbying by some top State leaders with clout in Delhi.
“The State leaders told the AICC president it would not be a good idea to award me the ticket since I am not able to get off my bed due to my ill health,” he said, while adding that another reason which they had cited to Ms Gandhi was that being a man of less words he (Wanswett) would not be able to get along with the electorates in the constituency.
Meanwhile, KHNAM Shella Circle members, who also attended the public meeting, have unanimously resolved to support Wanswett by not putting up their candidate from the constituency.