From Our Special Correspondent
Committee members meet Mukul, Lapang separately
New Delhi: The A K Antony committee, which examined Congress’ performance in the last Lok Sabha election in Meghalaya particularly in Garo Hills, has advised the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) to try untidily to retrieve the lost ground to better its performance in the future elections.
Besides senior party leader Antony, former AICC General Secretary in-charge of Meghalaya Mukul Wasnik , former observer for the state Ramachandra Khuntia and AICC leader Avinash Pandy were present in the meeting held here on Sunday.
Both Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and the MPCC chief DD Lapang appeared before the committee separately.
Unlike in several states where the Congress was wiped out, in Meghalaya the party retained the Shillong parliamentary seat but could not wrest the Tura seat from political veteran and NPP president Purno A Sangma.
The committee did express concern over lose of Tura seat and reduction of Vincent H Pala’s victory margin in Shillong seat.
Despite the victory in the Shillong seat the party has been unhappy over the serious infighting involving even the top leaders including cabinet ministers during the run up to the elections.
The committee also expressed concern over dramatic growth in BJP’s vote bank in Shillong, AICC sources said after the meeting.
The exercise is being undertaken at the behest of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has been asked by the party’s apex decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee, to effect the necessary changes in its organisational set-up in light of the poor poll result.
Congress secured its lowest tally of 44 seats in the 543- member Lok Sabha in the general elections held in April-May this year.
Neither Gandhi and nor all powerful Vice President Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting since they were out of station.
