Imphal, January 02: With the decks cleared for a three phase polls next year, political parties have started the spadework of drawing up the candidate lists and the Congress has asked the intending candidates to submit their applications while the CPI is expected to announce the list within the next few days.

The BJP is awaiting the arrival of its National Secretary Thawarchand Gehlot to draw up the list and he is expected to arrive here on January 6.The general secretary of the MPCC (I) Bidyapati Senjam issued a notification yesterday asking the intending candidates to submit their forms to the party by January 5.At least 40 intending candidates have taken the forms.

Speaking to reporters at the Congress Bhawan today, MPCC (I) president Gaikhangam said that the candidates list of the Congress will be announced anytime between January 15 and 20 after due consultation with the Congress high command.

The party will field candidates in all the 60 ACs, he added.

The opinion and suggestions of the block and district committees of the Congress will be taken into consideration while drawing up the list of the candidates, he said and added that since the Congress has the culture of drawing up the candidates list in a systematic manner, not much problem will be faced.

However it will not be possible to satisfy all the intending candidates and their supporters, he predicted.

It is a good sign for the Congress that there are many intending candidates seeking the ticket of the party, he claimed.

The MPCC (I) president informed that the resignation of Wungnaoshang Keishing has been accepted and added that he does not have much to opine from where Chief Minister O Ibobi will contest the election (Khangabok or Thoubal AC).

The MPCC has also urged the AICC chief Sonia Gandhi to come here sometime this month to campaign for the party, informed Gaikhangam and added that the Congress would like to see a free and fair election.

Traning his guns on some political parties, the Congress leader wondered whether these parties have any policies.

Merely targetting the Congress is immature, he added.

Chairman of the State Central Committee of the CPI, B Sharma said that the party will field 25 candidates including four in the hill districts.

The candidate list will be announced after a meeting of the National Council on January 6.On the other hand the Janata Dal (United) has announced that the names of its candidates will be announced at office on January 5 at 11 am.