SHILLONG/ MAWKYRWAT: The Congress has decided to field former GSU leader Jackuish K Sangma as the candidate for the August 23 Ranikor by-poll.
The decision to field Sangma was taken after the meeting of the election committee of Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) held in Shillong on Wednesday.
Congress spokesperson HM Shangpliang said Sangma was the general secretary of GSU Khasi Hills zone before he joined the Congress in 2007.
Shangpliang said AICC has approved the name and he will be filing the nominations on Friday at the office of the returning officer and deputy commissioner, South West Khasi Hills.
The leaders of Ranikor Block Congress Committee and South West Khasi Hills District Congress Committee were present during the meeting.
After discussing pros and cons, the meeting chose Jackuish, who will take on former Congress legislator and NPP candidate MM Danggo, UDP’s Pius Marwein and PDF nominee PN Syiem.
Sources said the move of the Congress to field Sangma was to divide Garo votes and to ensure that the vote bank of Danggo, who is also a Garo, is reduced so that any rival candidate can win the by-poll. Others are Khasi candidates.
Earlier, JC Diengngan, younger brother of former PDF candidate from Ranikor, Air Marshall Diengngan, had emerged as the candidate of the Congress for the by-poll.
However, there was a change of stand after former chief minister Mukul Sangma along with congress legislators Dikkanchi D Shira, Miani D Shira and H M Shangpliang visited Ranikor on July 27 to know the ground reality and assess the strength of the party in the constituency before naming the by-poll candidate.
