Shillong, Nov 27: The United Democratic Party (UDP) Umroi Circle on Monday said that allotment of ticket to Mangkara Pathaw, the son of former chief minister J.D. Rymbai, was taken by the party’s state election committee (SEC).

Addressing media persons here, UDP Umroi Circle general secretary, Banteilang Ryngkhar said that it was the SEC that took the final decision to allot the party ticket to Pathaw from the two names submitted by the Circle.

Infact, the other ticket aspirant, Firstforce Deki Ramsiej, also the vice president of the UDP Umroi circle was earlier declared as the UDP candidate from Umroi constituency in the first list announced by the party for the upcoming 2018 Assembly elections.

Ramsiej had recently opposed the fresh decision taken by the party to allot the ticket to Pathaw.

Ryngkhar however claimed that both Ramsiej and Pathaw agreed to a resolution adopted by the executive meeting of the Circle held on November 21, that their names be forwarded to the SEC.

“It was Ramsiej who approached Pathaw to join the party when he was with the Umroi Democratic Forum (UDF). Pathaw had agreed on the condition that Ramsiej should not take the ticket allotted to him by the party and instead allow the people to decide from among them to be the candidate from Umroi,” the general secretary said.

According to him, both Ramsiej and Pathaw had also signed an agreement that if one of them got the ticket for the MLA election, the other will take the ticket for contesting the upcoming 2019 MDC elections.

“Therefore, the step taken by the Circle was as per the resolution adopted by the executive meeting and not as alleged by Ramsiej that he did not get the party ticket because of the handy work of the Circle,” he added.