Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 14 2010:
Congress will dominate the coming civic bodies' poll, said MPCC president Gaikhangam today in an interaction with some reporters.
Gaikhangam said that there the Congress party has an excellent chance of securing the majority in most of the municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the coming elections, scheduled to be held on January 3, 2011 .
Recalling that Congress had won an overwhelming majority in almost all the seats of the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) held in May and June of this year, Gaikhangam said that it marked the people's response to the developmental works taken up in the state by the ruling Congress party.
People have faith in the party, so there is no doubt that the party will sweep the elections to the municipal council and nagar panchayat for which notification for holding the elections has been issued last week, Gaikhangam said.
With regard to the fielding of party candidates in the election, he said that many Congressmen desirous to contest the elections have applied for Congress tickets.
Atleast four to five persons have applied for the party ticket in each council or ward.
Faced with this situation and not wishing to create any misunderstanding, the party has decided to conduct a proper screening of all the applicants, he added.
Taking into account the forthcoming general elections to the state Assembly, the party will sacrifice some seats to other like minded parties or shall contest the election in the friendly manner, he disclosed.
The coming elections to the eight municipal councils and 18 nagar panchayats are for 109 seats in the municipal councils and 170 seats in the 18 nagar panchayats.
The MPCC has, so far, cleared the names of 242 candidates to be fielded as party nominees.
Out of this, 101 candidates are for the municipal councils while the rest is for nagar panchayats, Gaikhangam explained.
Giving a break up, the party chief said Congress is fielding, nine candidates in the 13 member Mayang Imphal Municipal Council, 11 candidates in the 12-member Kakching Municipal Council and 10 in the 12-member Bishnupur MC.
Gaikhangam added that the party will contest in all the seats in the 17-member Thoubal MC, and all the seats in the 14-member Ningthoukhong MC and Jiribam MC.