MDA, CLP to meet on Speaker post today

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) will face a daunting task on Wednesday when it meets to finalise the name of the candidate for the post of Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will also meet on the same day to discuss about fielding a candidate for the post of Speaker.
The party has not selected any MLA to contest the post.
The CLP meeting will also discuss the issues to be raised by the party MLAs during the upcoming autumn session of the Assembly.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Tuesday that the MDA core committee will meet first following which a meeting of the MDA partners will be held to endorse the name of the candidate for the post of Speaker. “We will arrive at a consensus on the matter”, said Tynsong who is also the chairman of the core committee.
Earlier, the first attempt of the MDA to bring a consensus among the partners for the post failed and the alliance had to form the core committee comprising representatives from different coalition partners supporting the government.
Four names have come up for the post of Speaker within the MDA.
Sources said the names of Lambor Malngiang, Lahkmen Rymbui, Timothy D. Shira, Thomas Sangma and former Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai figure in the list of probable candidates for the post of Speaker.
Earlier, the core committee constituted by the MDA held its first meeting and it was decided to finalise the matter on Wednesday.
Besides Tynsong, other members of the core committee are UDP leader Metbah Lyngdoh, PDF leader Banteidor Lyngdoh and BJP leader AL Hek.
The election of the Speaker will be held in the upcoming session.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has maintained that the MDA will project a consensus candidate.
The UDP, a major partner in the MDA had made it clear that the Speaker’s post should go to UDP as it was earlier held by party president Donkupar Roy.