Cong leaders demand removal of Khliehriat candidate

Cong leaders demand removal of Khliehriat candidate

MPCC given 48 hrs to withdraw Siangshai

HP NEWS SERVICE

Shillong, Jan 31: The State Congress leadership has found itself cornered by its own party members over the manner in which candidates were selected by the party to contest the February 27 Assembly elections.

The Khliehriat Block Congress Committee (KBCC) has given 48 hours to the party leadership to remove Jhanika Siangshai from the list of party candidates.

It may be mentioned that Siangshai was given Congress ticket to contest from Khliehriat constituency in East Jaintia Hills.

Irked by the decision of the party to allot the ticket to Siangshai, the KBCC along with leaders of the women’s wing and youth wing of the party in the constituency said that Siangshai had left the Congress since August 2022 and had joined the NPP on September 11, 2022.

“We have all decided not to accept the party’s decision to allot the ticket to Siangshai. The party leadership should remove her from the list of candidates within 48 hours from today, failing which we will be compelled to resort to drastic action,” said KBCC secretary Rimistar Dkhar.

Recently, the Kharkutta Block Congress Committee had claimed that Chireng Peter R. Marak was not even a member of the Congress and as such cannot be a party candidate.

Earlier on January 26, members of the Youth Congress from Garo Hills torched the effigies of Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Vincent Pala and working president Deborah Marak outside the Congress Bhavan in Tura.

The Youth Congress members were angry over the decision of the party leadership to allot the election ticket to former NCP legislator Saleng A. Sangma to contest from Gambegre and former Trinamool leader Reynold M. Sangma to contest from Selsella.

According to the Youth Congress members, loyal partymen who applied for party tickets were not considered and the tickets were given to leaders from other parties who joined the Congress overnight.

It may be mentioned that members of the Congress in Kharkutta constituency have also questioned the decision to allot the party ticket to Chireng Peter R. Marak who is the brother-in-law of Tura MP, Agatha Sangma.

Former MLA Omillo K. Sangma had applied for the party ticket from the constituency.