Congress decision tomorrow
SHILLONG/NEW DELHI: Even as the AICC is keen to allot party ticket to the sitting MP Vincent H Pala, MPCC president DD Lapang and Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma are lobbying hard to get the ticket allotted to party legislator from Mylliem Ronnie Lyngdoh.
The MPCC chief arrived in Delhi on Thursday night while the Chief Minister will be arriving in the national capital for the meeting of the Central Election Committee of the AICC which will take the final call on the candidates for two Lok Sabha seats from Meghalaya.
The meeting, which was scheduled to be held on Friday, has been deferred by a day to familiarize the members with the opinion of both the state leaders. Though neither of the leaders is a part of the CEC their opinion is sought since the last meeting of the screening committee remained inconclusive.
According to AICC sources, there would not be any more meeting of the screening committee headed by V Narayanswamy, Union Minister of State in the PMO. Luizinho Falerio, the general secretary in-charge of the state, has also landed in the national capital.
If there are objections from the Chief Minister and the MPCC president, the announcement of the candidate is likely to be delayed.
The last minute entry of Ronnie, who decided not to contest the district council elections longing to get a party ticket, has complicated the race for ticket when Pala, John Kharshiing and Charles Pyngrope had already filed their applications for ticket.
Ronnie was compelled to apply for ticket due to the pressure from anti-Pala group within the party.
Many Congress legislators and party functionaries are annoyed over the interference of Pala in the last Assembly elections by way of helping the non-Congress candidates win election in a clandestine manner.
Several candidates of the Congress were defeated in the process.