Candidates List: A Political Game of Meghalaya Congress,Meghalaya Election poll 2013 candidate list,meghalaya Poll Candidate list,political game of MPCC , Meghalaya congress politics.

The political game of MPCC president DD Lapang and former Union Minister of State 

Vincent H Pala has led to the omission of many prominent ticket aspirants from Khasi-Jaintia Hills in the final list of Congress candidates which was approved and declared by the AICC on Sunday.

The sources also believe that this decision to deny the tickets to some of the prominent aspirants would back fire in the upcoming election as most of them would contest against the party’s official nominee.

 Meanwhile, informed sources told that all the candidates who have been awarded the party tickets from the seven constituencies in Jaintia Hills are known to be close aides of the former Union Minister of State.

According to the sources, those who were awarded the tickets in constituencies outside Jaintia Hills including Barnabas Nangbah (Jirang), Jropsing Nongkhlaw (Shella), Ngaitlang Dhar (Umroi), Pynehborlang Mukhim (Mawryngkneng), Methodius Dkhar (Mawshynrut) and Kingford Kharsyntiew (Rambrai-Jyrngam) are all known to be close to Pala.

With Pala’s aides managing to get the tickets, some prominent names were left out which include sitting legislator Stanly Wiss Rymbai (Umroi), State Mahila Congress general secretary Pelcy Snaitang (Mawshynrut), senior Congress leader and Shella Block Congress Committee (SBCC) president Leston Wanswett (Shella) and Assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope’s son David Nongrum (Mawryngkneng).

Meanwhile, the sources also informed that Lapang also successfully managed to get the tickets for some of his close aides like West Khasi Hills District Congress Committee president and former Mairang legislator Boldness L Nongum (Mawthadraishan), Dr Celestine Lyngdoh (Umsning) and Lambor Malngiang (Nongkrem). 

A prominent aspirant who lost out to the political game played by Lapang is sitting Pariong MDC Irin Lyngdoh who was seeking the ticket from Mawthadraishan.

Informed sources also revealed that both Pala and Lapang, who were maintaining a distance for the past many years, came together during the final stages of finalization of the list of candidates and managed to put a break on the attempt of Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma to interfere with the ticket allotment in Khasi and Jaintia Hills.

The sources revealed that Dr Sangma’s close aide Banteidor Lyngdoh popularly known as ‘Paidang’ lost the race for the party ticket to Drosing Khongjoh from Mawkynrew constituency. Interestingly, the Chief Minister also failed to manage the ticket for his close associate and sitting Mahendraganj legislator Abdus Saleh.

Saleh who was seeking the party ticket from Rajabala lost the race to sitting Congress legislator Sayeedullah Nongrum.

The sources further revealed that Dr Sangma had tried to persuade Nongrum to contest from Mahendraganj since it had been declared as a ‘reserved seat’.

However, Nongrum’s refusal to contest from Mahendraganj led the Chief Minister to bring in his wife Dikkanchi D Shira from Mahendraganj. While the Pala-Lapang combine held sway in allocation of tickets in Khasi-Jaintia Hills, the Chief Minister had his way in majority of the constituencies in Garo Hills resulting in two prominent names – Community and Rural Development Minister Saleng Sangma (Dalamgiri) and Samuel Sangma (Dalu) – being omitted from the list of candidates, the sources stated. 

The sources revealed that Saleng was denied the ticket since he was one of the legislators who had revolted against Dr Mukul Sangma during the leadership tussle between him and Lapang. “The Community and Rural Development Minister had become an enemy to both Lapang and Mukul after shifting allegiance from one camp to another,” the sources said.