IMPHAL, January 2: Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and MPCC president Gaikhangam are likely to visit the party central leaders at New Delhi to finalized issuing of party tickets to aspirant candidates who have applied to contest the ensuing 2012 election in the state.
According to a reliable source, the MPCC conducted a meeting of its election committee presided jointly by the MPCC president Gaikhangam and CM O Ibobi Singh at Congress Bhavan Imphal.
During the said meeting the committee examined and deliberated upon the list of aspiring candidates who have applied for party ticket.
Even though the committee is said to have approved the recommendation of some of the candidates, it was unable to approved many of the aspiring candidates for the party ticket and as such decided to take the matter to the party central leaders at New Delhi, the source added.
The source further informed that the party has not publicly announced the approved list of aspiring candidates and that the state leaders will further announced it only after the final approval of the AICC central leaders.
The source has also added that after the end of the committee meeting, the state party president Gaikhangam and his Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh further convened a closed door meeting at the latter’s official bungalow. However the source declined to divulge any information of the said meeting.
Meanwhile, according to a party insider, there are 167 intending candidates including sitting MLAs and ministers from the party’s fold who are aspiring to contest the election on a Congress ticket.
The party has also received written applications from 14 aspiring candidates for party tickets including from some sitting MLAs of the opposition parties, the source added.
The party insider further informed that there is a great probability of some MLAs from the opposition parties who are aspiring for Congress tickets to get the ticket.