MPCC to forward all names to AICC
Four in contention for Congress ticket in Shillong, nine in Tura
SHILLONG/ TURA: The MPCC Election Committee has decided to submit to the AICC the names of all the candidates who have sought for the party ticket to contest from the two Parliamentary seats (Shillong and Tura) in the Lok Sabha elections due in 2014.
While there are four aspirants for the party ticket from the Shillong Parliamentary seat including sitting MP Vincent H Pala, a total of nine aspirants, including a lady, have applied for the Congress ticket from the Tura seat.
The election committee of the Congress party, which met at the Chief Minister’s residence in Shillong on Friday, decided to forward the names of all the thirteen applicants to the AICC.
“We have decided to leave it to the wisdom of the party high command to take a final call on the allotment of the party ticket,” party sources informed after a meeting of the MPCC Election Committee here on Friday.
Sources further informed that MPCC working president Deborah C Marak has been shouldered with the responsibility of submitting the list of the probable candidates to the AICC.
Sources also revealed that the MPCC working president is likely to leave for Delhi on Sunday.
Besides Pala, the sitting MP, others who have applied for the party ticket for the Shillong seat are former MPCC president OL Nongtdu, former Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope and Congress member John F Kharshiing.
The candidates who are vying for the party ticket for the Tura seat are Congress Minister and Rangsakona MLA Zenith M Sangma, Congress MLA from Salmanpara and Parliamentary Secretary Winnerson D Sangma, former MLA Adolf Lu Hitler Marak, grandson of Meghalaya’s first Chief Minister Daryl William Cheran Momin, former Chief Executive Member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) Polycarp K Marak, former Deputy Chief of NERCORMP and current Executive Director of Haggai Institute, India, Bijoy A Sangma, Youth Congress general secretary Richard M Marak, retired District Industries Officer DK Arengh and retired Deputy Commissioner and senior Congress leader Mrs Arlene Mayne N Sangma, who is the lone woman contender.
However, Congress sources inform that there was confusion over the membership of one applicant Bijoy A Sangma who has sought for ticket without being a primary member of the party.
It may be noted that the last date for submission of the list of the ticket aspirants for the Lok Sabha polls to the AICC is October 15.