SHILLONG, March 3: Going for the right candidates is crucial for the state Congress to bounce back as the party’s foundation and vote bank is still intact despite the recent debacle, feels senior Congress leader and party’s working president, Deborah Marak.
Enquired if the process of identifying the candidates has started, Marak, on Thursday, said it is too early to project that. The party has a procedure which will be followed, she added.
Asked about the number of seats that the Congress is eyeing out of the 24 in the region, Marak said, “Now we cannot say as there is still time. By October-November, it will be clear how many seats the Congress is winning, but the way the people are working now we will definitely get good numbers from Garo Hills as usual.”
Talking about the recent political development in the Congress camp, the working president of the Congress said that the party is working hard at the grassroots level, adding that all its members are together. “The district Congress committee, block and polling station committees are intact. We are having a meeting on Friday to review these entire things block-wise and as per my knowledge all the blocks are aggressively moving ahead,” she said.
She observed that the main electoral battle in the Garo Hills region will be between the Congress and the National People’s Party (NPP) as the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) is relatively new and as such does not hold much ground.
“Election is always tough and challenging, and in Garo Hills, the fight will be between the Congress and the NPP as AITC is new,” said Marak.