By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 28: While the TMC high command is awaiting the decision of the INDIA bloc insofar as fielding a common candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is concerned, the State TMC has made their intentions clear to the top brass that they want a TMC candidate fielded in both the seats of the state.
Informing that the State TMC unit has already indicated that there should be a candidate from the TMC keeping in mind the collective effort put in by the party’s workers at the grassroots, TMC Parliamentary Party leader Mukul Sangma said, “In the eastern part, our share of vote in the last elections have been very negligible not very encouraging but in the western part, we are quite formidable. It is necessary therefore to leverage upon the strength that we have built so far, amplify it and carry it forward”.
He, however, said, “This has already been communicated but there are certain factors. At the national level, the whole talk about the INDIA Bloc, and TMC being a part of it; there is natural expectation that we must wait until a decision is made but we have felt it is necessary from the state side to indicate that we would like to have a candidate and we must have”.
The Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance or INDIA, is a bloc of 28 parties that seeks to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in 2024.
Stating that there is an intent of the political parties in INDIA bloc to field a common candidate as far as possible, he said, “There is a catch ‘as far as possible’, so it may not be possible everywhere. There has to be exception in some of the states and some of the seats. Therefore, based on that, we have indicated there must be exception in Meghalaya and earlier the better the decision has to be there”.
Asked if the state unit has identified the candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, he said, “First things first; you cannot put the cart before the horse. You have to decide to put the candidate first. Putting up candidate is the most important part. One cannot say you proceed ahead and then suddenly we won’t have a candidate. Logically we need to have a clarity that is what I want. Let us have a decision based on that we will indicate this is our strategy and the candidate”. a“The decision will have to be the decision to have a candidate first but from our side we are saying we must have and we will eventually have that is what I think,” he added.
With regard to the meeting with the high command to finalise the candidates, he said, “They have indicated sometime within this month. I just reviewed the overall correspondence today and we will work it out accordingly”.
He also informed that there are quite a few aspiring candidates for the Lok Sabha seats from the party.