By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 11: Congress MLA Ronnie V Lyngdoh on Wednesday said if the party decides to pull out of the National People’s Party-led Executive Committee (EC) in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), then its MDCs will abide by that decision.
“We have to respect the feelings of party leaders and party’s frontal organisations. As disciplined party members, we will abide by party’s directive to end our relationship with the NPP in the KHADC,” Lyngdoh, who is also an MDC, told reporters.
He disclosed that the Congress discussed the matter for quite some time but had to wait as they wanted to meet the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
He said they had managed to express their views on the reservation issue before the MHA officials.
“We have made it very clear whom the council will nominate in case of representation of unrepresented tribes. The role of the Governor is to approve the recommendation made by the council,” Lyngdoh said.
He said they had to work with the NPP for the sake of political stability in the council. “We offered to work together with the NPP at the time when there was a rift between the NPP and the UDP. We feared the Governor might impose Administrative Rule in the council in case the EC, led by the UDP with the support of the NPP, collapsed,” Lyngdoh said.
He said they cannot afford to have Administrative Rule since the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule is in the pipeline. According to him, they cannot allow only the bureaucrats to give their views on the proposed amendment.
“We don’t want the proposed amendment to weaken the provisions in the Sixth Schedule which empowers the council,” he said, adding as Meghalaya is a Sixth Schedule state, the Panchayati Raj system cannot be applied here.
Lyngdoh said the Congress’ state and central leaderships had endorsed the move to work with the NPP at that point of time.
Earlier, when he was asked about the Congress’ partnership with the NPP in the KHADC, he had stated that the mandates in the Assembly and the council are totally different.
Congress likely to announce candidates before Christmas
The Congress is expected to release its first list of candidates for the upcoming KHADC and JHADC elections before Christmas.
Speaking to reporters, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) working president Ronnie V Lyngdoh said the party will release its list in phases due to multiple ticket aspirants in several constituencies.
Lyngdoh explained that the party follows a structured process to finalise candidates. Observers from the District Congress Committees (DCCs) are sent to constituencies where more than one aspirant is vying for the party ticket. Based on feedback from party members and workers at the constituency level, tickets will be allotted to the most deserving candidates.
The MPCC working president also confirmed that the Congress will contest all 29 seats in both KHADC and JHADC.
Responding to queries about the party’s strength, Lyngdoh asserted that Congress remains a formidable force despite losing several MLAs and MDCs. “The party continues to have a strong organizational presence at the constituency level,” he said.
He also revealed that in constituencies where Congress does not have an MLA, three to four individuals have applied for party tickets, underscoring the party’s enduring appeal.