By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 2: The Congress party has announced its calendar for the upcoming elections to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC). Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) general secretary Wansuk Syiem, in a letter addressed to presidents of District Congress Committees (DCCs) and Block Congress Committees (BCCs), detailed the timeline and process for selecting candidates.
Syiem emphasised that the party is ready to begin inviting candidates to contest the elections and called on eligible and winnable individuals who are loyal to the party to step forward and take on the challenge of serving the public’s best interests. She further stated that the finalised election calendar will guide party functionaries and aspirants in the run-up to the elections.
According to the schedule, circulars and instructions were issued to BCCs, DCCs, MPs, MLAs, and MDCs on Monday. Application forms will be made available at the MPCC office in Shillong starting Tuesday. Aspiring candidates have to submit their completed applications to their respective BCCs by December 13. The BCCs will screen the applications and forward them to their respective DCCs by December 17. Subsequently, the DCCs will submit the recommended candidates to the MPCC in Shillong by December 19, after which the Pradesh Election Committee will screen the recommendations before finalising the list of candidates.
The application fee for candidates has been set at Rs 20,000, with an additional Rs 500 for the cost of the form. Both payments are non-refundable and must be made at the MPCC office when collecting the form. Additionally, the DCCs will collect Rs 5,000 from each applicant, while BCCs will collect Rs 3,000. Both committees will issue “No Due” certificates and receipts to the applicants, which must be attached to the application forms along with the membership receipt.