SHILLONG: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma wants to contest from two constituencies in Garo Hills in the 2018 Assembly polls to ensure his win at a time when the party has been weakened both at the Centre and in majority of the states.
Party sources said on Sunday that the chief minister is toying with the idea of contesting two seats to ensure that he comes back to power with the support of Independents and like-minded parties.
“The chief minister thinks that there is nobody to replace him in the Congress as a leader and he is also worried about the prospects of many projects, especially the IBDLP, once a new government is installed,” the party source said.
Besides Ampati, the chief minister is planning to contest in Songsak, currently represented by Nihim D Shira of NPP.
BJP is making inroads in Ampati, the home constituency of the chief minister.
On July 11, the chief minister had launched the ambitious Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation of Entrepreneurship (LIFE) programme in Songsak in East Garo Hills with an eye on the polls.
Besides, he had also resorted to inauguration of a series of programmes aimed at wooing voters, especially in Garo Hills ahead of the Assembly polls.
The inauguration of four districts in 2012 before the 2013 Assembly had worked positively for the Congress, and the chief minister hopes to repeat the same in 2018.
However, the only difference currently is that the BJP-led NDA government is in power at the Centre and not UPA that had ruled in 2012-13.
During the selection of candidates, MPCC president DD Lapang will not have any other choice but to allot tickets for two seats to the chief minister, who enjoys support of a section of AICC leaders, especially CP Joshi, who is the current in charge of Meghalaya.
The worry of the chief minister is the heavy anti-incumbency factor against the Congress government in the State and the likely exodus of party legislators, including ministers ahead of the 2018 polls.
The reason for the possible exodus of Congress legislators to other parties is mainly the adamant stand of AICC in not changing the chief minister though the demand was raised in the past several times by the legislators supported by senior Congress leaders.
What irked the Congress ministers and legislators is the ‘one man show’ of the chief minister, who rarely engages in consultations, a rebel Congress leader said.
Party insiders said there is hardly anyone in the Cabinet who seeks clarification from the chief minister whenever policies are presented.
At times, the Cabinet meetings are called hurriedly by the chief minister leaving no choice for the ministers to attend.
The same is the case with the Congress legislators, who did not want to antagonise the chief minister except the Congress leader and KHADC CEM P.N Syiem.
However, Syiem had to pay the price. He was suspended for three years for being vocal against certain policies and programmes of the chief minister and the Congress-led government.
Syiem was annoyed over the manner in which the dual post bill, which prevents an MLA from holding the post of MDC, was planned in a hurry by the chief minister.
The Cabinet had no other choice than to agree to the proposal that was brought ahead of the Assembly session in 2015.
Syiem protested against the dual post bill during the discussion in the Assembly and outside and his view was vindicated by the Election Commission of India and the High Court of Meghalaya which ruled that holding the position of both MLA and MDC is not an office of profit.
