LS Polls: AICC to field sitting MPs
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, September 24 2013: All India Congress Committee (AICC) has made it clear to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur that sitting MPs from the State namely Dr T Meinya and Thangso Baite should be fielded as party candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

According to reports received from Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), the decision to field sitting MPs was taken during a meeting of AICC held recently.

The decision of AICC would be applicable to not just a single State but to the whole country.

Consequently, AICC has also given instruction to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of the State in this regard.

However, no sitting MP who is above the age of 72 years and has any criminal record would be included from fielding as party candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.

A number of intending candidates of the Congress have already surfaced up since a long time back to contest in the Lok Sabha election which is likely to take place in March/April next year.

The intending candidates have even started lobbying the National leaders for the party tickets.

However, all these lobbying have come to naught following the instruction of the AICC to field only sitting MPs.

The instruction of the AICC was given to Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam while they were at Delhi just recently.

Following this development, the dreams of many of the Congress workers who desire to contest in the election and carrying out various strategies to get the party tickets have been shattered.

Nonetheless, the possibility of a chaotic situation within the Congress over the issue of fielding candidates for the Lok Sabha elections has been cleared after the AICC instruction.

Meanwhile, the issue of a common candidate among the Opposition parties to take on the ruling Congress party in Manipur too has taken a back seat with every possible opposition party busy in trying to bring out their own respective candidates.

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