Mukul Sangma will meet top Congress leaders on Sunday. (File)
Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, who is also the leader of opposition in the state assembly, will be travelling to Delhi tomorrow in an apparent attempt to seek the intervention of the Congress's top leadership "to resolve" certain internal issues. The visit comes amid speculation that Mr Sangma is upset with the party after Vicent H Pala was made the state Congress chief and he is on his way out along with a dozen MLAs to join the Trinamool Congress.
While Dr Sangma has not denied the speculation, he has claimed it's "too pre-mature" to second-guess. Wait to hear from the "horse's mouth", he said.
A close aide of Dr Sangma told NDTV that the Congress right now has 17 MLAs in Meghalaya. With elections due in 2023, the MLAs would like to retain their seats, so Dr Sangma will need at least 12 MLAs with him to not attract the anti-defection law. The state assembly has 60 seats.
"I will be travelling to Delhi on Sunday...there is a mechanism. We will try to resolve all issues," Dr Sangma told reporters on Friday.
"That particular presumption and assumption is too premature (about him along with other colleagues leaving the Congress). I have always maintained that I should not be a victim of pessimism," he said.
On the speculation of joining All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dr Sangma however said, "...you know you have to wait for the time, if it is coming from the horse's mouth then you give credibility, it's a question of giving weightage to news when it comes from the right source."
Stating that there are grievances among the party members, the former Chief Minister said some of them are already "victims of those grievances" while referring to one of the senior members leaving the Congress to join the NPP ahead of the bye-elections to three assembly seats.
The much-awaited by polls for the Mawryngkneng, Rajabala and Mawphlang is scheduled for October 30. Votes will be counted on November 2.
The Congress is likely to announce names of the candidates contesting the by polls on Saturday.
Meanwhile, sources in the Trinamool Congress have indicated to NDTV that top party leader and strategist Prasant Kishor's team is in touch with several Congress leaders from Meghalaya.