Meghalaya Election 2023: Congress Releases Final List Of Candidates, Check Names Here

Congress has released its final list of candidates for the Meghalaya Assembly elections. Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee President Vincent H Pala said the final list was approved by the CEC.

Image used for Representational Purpose only.

Source : ANI

New Delhi: The Congress has released its final list of candidates for the Meghalaya Assembly elections, a senior party leader said on Sunday, as reported by the news agency PTI. Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee President and MP Vincent H Pala said the final list of five candidates was approved by the central election committee (CEC).

The five candidates are Jhanika Siangshai (Khliehriat), Arbiangkam Khar Sohmat (Amlarem), Chireng Peter R Marak (Kharkutta), Dr Tweel K Marak (Resubelpara) and Carla R Sangma (Rajabala), Vincent H Pala said, PTI reported. The party on January 25 had announced the names of 55 candidates for the 60 member state Assembly.

Pala's name was in the first list and he will be contesting the assembly election from the Sutnga-Saipung constituency in East Jaintia Hills district. Polling in the state will be held in single phase on February 27, while the result will be declared on March 2. The term of the Meghalaya assembly ends on March 15, 2023.

The three northeastern states, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura will be the first ones to go to the polls this year. Assembly elections are also to be held in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana later this year.

National People’s Party (NPP),  which got recognition as the national party in 2019, leads the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) in Meghalaya. Earlier, the ruling National People’s Party declared candidates for 58 seats for the upcoming polls​ to the 60-member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. ​Chief ​Minister and party supremo Conrad Sangma will contest from the South Tura seat of Garo Hills. ​He is the sitting ​MLA from this seat. There are six women candidates too. ​Other candidates include a few defectors from other parties.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will be fighting the elections from South Tura in West Garo Hills district, while his deputy Prestone Tynsong will contest from Pynursla in East Khasi Hills district. 

The Trinamool Congress has already declared 52 candidates for the assembly election in the state. TMCs strength in the 60-member Assembly has come down to nine after threes of its MLAs left the party, reported news agency IANS. However, the TMC leaders claim that thousands of NPP and other party supporters, including some leaders have joined their party.

The NPP won 19 seats in the last elections and formed the MDA with the HSDP, UDP, PDF and BJP  taking away the chance to Congress for another term in the state.  

Its main contender in the state is the former CM Mukul Sangma-led TMC. Sangma along with 11 other MLAs of the Congress switched sides to join the TMC last year, making it the main opposition party in the state. Congress became the single-largest party after the 2018 elections, in which it won 21 seats.