Election controversy: Deborah blames it on ‘communication gap’
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Despite All India Congress Committee (AICC) directive to stop holding elections at block level to select candidates for the 2013 Assembly election, the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has decided to go ahead with its earlier decision saying the names of the ticket aspirants from the Block would be forwarded to the District Congress Committee as well as the State Election Committee before submitting to the AICC for approval.
Informing this here on Friday, the MPCC acting president Deborah C Marak said ‘communication gap’ between the MPCC and AICC has given rise to this controversy.
“The AICC was misinformed that the Block Congress Committee (BCC) on its own would be allotting tickets to candidates for 2013 Assembly elections,” Marak said adding that she had already clarified the matter to the AICC general secretary in charge of Meghalaya Dhaniram Shandil that “this election is an exercise to find suitable candidates for 2013 election.”
She informed that the party in a meeting held in September last year had decided to start projecting party candidates at least a year ahead of the actual battle. But no yardstick was fixed as to how the projection of candidates should be done, she said.
Accordingly, some Block Congress Committees held “elections” in some constituencies in Khasi-Jaintia Hills like Mawryngkneng, Shella and Pynursla to find out an “acceptable” candidate from amongst the aspirants.
Marak said the election process in Khasi-Jaintia Hills was over, the same in Garo Hills is expected to be carried out in February.
It may be mentioned that taking strong exception to the ‘elections’ being held by the State Congress to choose candidates for the 2013 Assembly polls in the State, the AICC on Thursday asked the Meghalaya MPCC to stop such exercise forthwith.
