By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Senior Congress leaders Charles Pyngrope and OL Nongtdu are emerging as strong favourites from the Congress to contest in the bye-election to fill up the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Meghalaya.
Congress party sources on Wednesday hinted that there are indications that the party would either field Pyngrope or Nongtdu to contest in the by poll slated for April 18.
The two times MLA Pyngrope had also held the post of Assembly Speaker in the previous House while Nongtdu had been a former Rajya Sabha MP from 1996 to 2002.
Party sources also informed that AICC president Sonia Gandhi is likely to decide on Congress’ official nominee for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Meghalaya after consultation with senior State party leaders in the next few days.
Besides Pyngrope and Nongtdu, others names which are also emerging include John Kharshiing, Bijon Kumar Dey Sawian, Oris Lyngdoh Myriaw, Wansuk Syiem, KK Dkhar, Polycarp Marak and Manash Das Gupta.
Pyngrope, meanwhile, has expressed willingness to contest for the Rajya Sabha seat if the party decides to back him.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Wednesday Pyngrope said that if asked to represent Meghalaya in Delhi, he will carry out his task with utmost sincerity.
Only elected members of the State Legislative Assembly are eligible to vote in the RS election.
Presently, the Congress has 29 members including Assembly Speaker Abu Taher Mondal in the 60-member House. Hence, the candidate projected by the Congress is almost certain to be elected as the new Rajya Sabha MP from the State.
With the notification of the Rajya Sabha by-election in Meghalaya to be issued by the Election Commission on April 1, the Congress is likely to finalise its candidate later this week or after Easter.
As per the schedule, the last date for filing of nominations is on April 8 and the scrutiny of nominations will be held on April 9. The last date of withdrawal of candidature is April 11.
The RS by-poll will be held from 9am to 4pm on April 18 and the counting of votes will be held on the same from 5pm onwards.
The Rajya Sabha by-poll has been necessitated as the single seat from Meghalaya has remained vacant after the resignation of Thomas A Sangma who unsuccessfully contested the recent assembly polls from North Tura constituency on National People’s Party (NPP) ticket.
Sangma was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the state on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket during the then Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) government on March 26, 2008. The term of Sangma as Rajya Sabha MP from Meghalaya was to end on April 12, 2014.