Meghalaya Cong in confusion over names for polls

Chief minister D D Lapang said that election to the 60-member Assembly would be held as per schedule, i.e. in February 2008. Two other Northeastern states, Nagaland and Tripura, will also go to polls early next year.

Lapang, who returned from New Delhi recently, said that the screening committee, headed by former Governor M M Jacob has completed scrutinising the list of candidates and added, 8220;The names have been forwarded to the Central Election Committee CEC for final approval.8221; He said the CEC now has to give its clearance. Lapang and Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee President O L Nongtdu had camped in New Delhi for the past four days to get the list of candidates approved. But neither Sonia Gandhi, nor AICC General-Secretary Margaret Alva was available.

Although the Congress high command has informed both Lapang and Nongtdu that the final decision for clearing the list of candidates for the 2008 Assembly polls will be taken after the autumn session of Assembly, Nongtdu is unsure of a specific date. He said: 8220;I am not sure when the high command will call us, it all depends on them.8221;

Meanwhile, many sitting legislators from Congress are unhappy over the delay of allocation of tickets. A sitting Congress legislator complaint: 8220;The delay has put everybody in suspense, especially those who are not unsure whether they will get a ticket or not.8221;