Meghalaya assembly polls: CM Mukul Sangma to contest from 2 seats
The state Congress committee chief said Mukul Sangma wanted to contest from his home constituency Ampati in South West Garo Hills district, besides Songsak in the Garo Hills.
Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma is keen to contest from two constituencies in the Garo Hills region in the February 27 assembly election, state Congress election committee chief Celestine Lyngdoh said Tuesday.
Lyngdoh said Sangma wanted to contest from his home constituency Ampati in South West Garo Hills district, besides Songsak in the Garo Hills.
Congress will contest all the 60 constituencies of the state and is likely to release the list of candidates for the February 27 assembly polls by this week.
Scrutinising of the candidates is complete and there are constituencies where the names of the candidates will be finalised within the next two days, Sangma said.
The committees have expressed to AICC leader CP Joshi on the need to complete the exercise by January 26, Sangma told newsmen in Shillong.
“The Congress at the state-level has completed the exercises and the candidates have been more or less frozen. The names would now be presented before the party’s central screening committee and the names will be announced with the approval of the AICC president,” he said.
The Congress suffered a blow on Tuesday as 42 party leaders in Resubelpara constituency in North Garo Hills district resigned and are likely to support an Independent candidate.
Among those who resigned included presidents, secretaries and other leaders of the district, block and primary committees in the constituency, which is currently represented by former chief minister SC Marak.
The entire district Congress committee has collapsed after the leaders quit, its president Chisal R Sangma said.
Asked for the reasons for their resignation, he said the sitting MLA has “neglected the people”.
The Congress, which is fighting incumbency after being in power for almost 15 years, also witnessed desertions of key party members and workers in both the Khasi Hills and Garo Hills region.
Earlier this month, five sitting legislators, including veteran Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Rowell Lyngdoh, joined the NPP.
A former Congress minister, AL Hek, joined the BJP, while another Congress MLA had joined to the PDF.
Meanwhile, the NPP has said it would not put up any candidate in Ampati and would support the BJP candidate.
“We are not putting up candidates in some seats and that includes Ampati,” said NPP state president WR Kharlukhi.
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