Shillong, Jan 9 Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday constituted the Political Affairs Committee, the Election Committee, and the Campaign Committee for Meghalaya to strengthen the party organisation in the northeastern hill state.
Congress sources said that the formation of three committees is a "routine" affair to boost up the party organisation after the party’s debacle in the successive assembly elections.
Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, in a press release, said that the 13-member Pradesh Election Committee would be headed by state Congress President Vincent H. Pala while Lok Sabha member from Tura Parliamentary constituency Saleng Sangama would lead the 9-member Campaign Committee.
The 12-member Political Affairs Committee would be headed by AICC in-charge for Meghalaya Dr. A Chellakumar.
In the 2023 Assembly polls, the Congress had secured five seats in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly.
In a further setback for the party, three of the five MLAs joined the ruling National People's Party (NPP) headed by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, while legislator Saleng Sangma was elected to the last Lok Sabha election from the Tura Parliamentary constituency, reducing the number of party members in the Assembly to just one.
In August last year, the Trinamool Congress in August last year was recognised as an opposition party in the Meghalaya Assembly and party leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP).
The Trinamool, which has five MLAs in the 60-member Assembly earlier urged Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma to give the LoP post to the party as it is claiming the support of the lone Congress legislator Ronnie V. Lyngdoh in the house.
The party, headed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the support of the Congress MLA, fulfilled the minimum 10 per cent criteria for the LoP post.
As Congress MLAs, Celestine Lyngdoh, Charles Marngar, and Gabriel Wahlang, joined the NPP in the presence of the Meghalaya Chief Minister. state Congress chief Pala accused the ruling party of being involved in a cash transaction for taking away the three MLAs into the ruling party's fold.
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