By IANS,
Shillong: Two Congress leaders have arrived in Meghalaya to end the bickering within the party’s legislators over the demand to remove Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, whose fate is likely to be decided Monday.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has deputed Sanjay Bapna, party in-charge of Meghalaya, and his deputy Dhani Ram Shandil to broker peace among the warring factions, a leader said.
The two central leaders would attend a crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting Monday evening to decide the fate of Sangma and also hold one-on-one meetings with the party’s legislators.
At least 18 of the 28 Congress legislators in the 60-member state assembly are believed to have projected D.D. Lapang as a possible successor to Sangma.
Lapang, a veteran Congress legislator, resigned as chief minister April 20 last year after 21 of the 28 legislators proposed Sangma’s name.
Sangma-led Congress government completed one year in office April 20.
“The coalition government is going strong and there is no doubt about. We are committed to serve the people,” Sangma told IANS.
Sangma is heading the five-party combine called the United Alliance coalition government.
Political instability has dogged Meghalaya, which has seen four governments since the March 2008 assembly elections. The next round of assembly polls are due 2013.