From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI: Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief DD Lapang, who has opted out of the election race due to old age, has been tasked with uniting the beleaguered party before the 2018 Assembly elections.
Lapang, who arrived in Delhi earlier this week, met Sonia Gandhi on Friday morning before he left for Shillong. Though the AICC president has stopped meeting leaders owing to ailing health, she met the veteran leader from the state for a short time, said sources in the national party.
Gandhi told Lapang that AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi will take charge of the party after a formal election. He will then meet all the regional unit presidents and chief ministers. She also asked Lapang to meet Rahul and apprise him of the state of affairs and election prospects.
Though Lapang did not meet the reporters here, it was understood that he conveyed the Congress predicament in the next assembly polls since many top leaders have quit the party. While some have refrained from seeking tickets others have joined the opposition ranks.
The sources said Gandhi wanted to know why so many senior leaders,
including ministers, have quit and advised Lapang to ensure unity among party leaders and workers.
For 85-year-old Lapang, uniting the leaders and workers to attenuate the impact of BJP, which is steadily strengthening its foothold in Meghalaya, and other regional parties would be a mammoth task, especially at a time when the Congress has weakened on the national platform.
Though some leaders did not pay much heed to the defection, announcement by a few legislators to not fight on party ticket has created a fear psychosis among leaders and members.
“The sitting MLAs always have an edge in their constituencies for which they are normally renominated for tickets,” the AICC sources said.
The Congress is not only worried about the exit of leaders but is also perturbed by MLAs and ministers opting out of race. “It is more a matter of concern if they join the opposition rank since a sizable chunk of their vote bank is also lost,” the sources added.
Lapang also met AICC general secretary in charge of Meghalaya CP Joshi, who was not available for comments.
The MPCC supremo had told the media that his retirement from polls will not affect the Congress prospects in the polls. But party sources feel that his exit will not only affect his constituency but also several others even if he campaigns for the party.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma too defended the senior leader’s decision to not contest. Sangma, along with 10 other top leaders of the Congress, is arriving here on Sunday for formal election of Rahul.