By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 17: The opposition TMC on Friday declared that they would not put forth a name or approach someone to run for the Lok Sabha elections unless they have approval from the high command.
TMC state president Charles Pyngrope told The Shillong Times on Friday, “We haven’t yet relayed it to our in-charge. He has stated he will be having a discussion with the high command and will then get back to us.”
The party’s state unit and top command are scheduled to meet to talk about the impending Lok Sabha elections.
“Until and unless the clearance comes from the high command we do not want to propose or approach or any person who we may feel fit to be the candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” he added in reference to the candidates.
“We will need to provide a panel of names along with our suggestions as soon as we receive clearance. I don’t want to jump the queue right now. There are a few but then we are not sounding anybody out,” he said when asked about the likely contenders.
The TMC had previously declared that they would run for the state’s two Lok Sabha seats.
In addition, Pyngrope had suggested that the parliamentary party president, Mukul Sangma, be chosen to fill the Tura Lok Sabha seat, while the party’s vice-president George B Lyngdoh, be the nominee for the Shillong seat.
However, there are rumours that the NPP leadership is reaching out to Lyngdoh to join them and run for the Shillong seat, which has caused matters to take a political turn for the party.
The development has not been acknowledged or refuted by the NPP.
Agatha Sangma, the sitting MP for the NPP, is anticipated to run for re-election from the Tura seats. The party led by Conrad K Sangma, her brother and the chief minister, has not yet revealed its nominee for the Shillong seat.
However, Congress is counting on Vincent H Pala to win back the Shillong seat a fourth time. The party has not yet announced their Tura nominee.
Ricky AJ Syngkon, the general secretary of the VPP, is the only one to have declared his candidature for the Shillong seat.