SHILLONG:
Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president, Vincent H Pala, on December 23, said that although the party does not have a single legislator going into the 2023 assembly polls, he however exuded confidence that the former MLAs and Members of District Council (MDCs) would replace them.
Pala said that as per statistics in the Meghalaya Assembly 50 percent to 55 percent sitting legislators lose every election.
The MPCC chief informed that the party will announce 40 candidates in the first list which will be declared after the approval of the All India Congress Committee.
He also was confident that out of the 40 seats the Congress will win 30 since the undercurrent for the party is strong.
Pala said that in places like Mawphlang, Sohiong and Nongthymmai senior leaders of the party like Kennedy Khyriem, HDR Lyngdoh and Charles Pyngrope joined other parties and were replaced with equally strong candidates.
Khyriem will contest from the Mawphlang seat on a National People’s Party ticket, Lyngdoh will contest from Sohiong constituency from the United Democratic Party while Pyngrope will contest from Nongthymmai on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket.
“If we give the people good qualified candidates free from corruption they will turn to the Congress,” he said.
The MPCC president said that the job of the Congress is to give the best candidates and the party is confident it will on its own cross 30 seats.
Pala also said that some of the candidates who will be fighting the 2023 polls are experienced and have been working for the party.
He also said that some of the candidates are also IITians, there are also those who have passed MBA and officers who either are retired or left their jobs to contest the polls.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm in the party wherever we go. Be it in Garo Hills or in Khasi-Jaintia Hills,” the MPCC chief said.
It may be mentioned that the Congress in the 2018 was the single largest winning 21 seats but at the fag end of the term, 12 joined the TMC five were suspended after joining the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government with BJP as a partner.
