Shillong, Aug. 12: The embattled Meghalaya unit of the Congress is pulling out all stops to dissuade some of its key functionaries, including former chief minister J.D. Rymbai, from joining the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) when Assembly elections are drawing near.

The former chief minister, still nursing the wounds of being dethroned in an unceremonious way by the high command, had hinted that he would not contest the elections on a Congress ticket.

In March this year, Rymbai, who represents the Jirang constituency, caved in to AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s pressure and submitted his resignation. He was replaced by D.D. Lapang as chief minister. The NCP, led by former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma, is going all out to break the Congress.

According to sources, Sangma who wants to use Rymbai as his “trump card”, has approached him a few times to get him by his side.

PCC president O.L. Nongtdu, however, claimed that Rymbai had sought for a Congress ticket. “We will recommend his candidature to the high command,” he said.

While it appears that the PCC may succeed in retaining Rymbai, talks are doing the rounds that sitting MLA from Laitumkhrah and education (higher and technical) minister, R.G. Lyngdoh, will be asked to apply for party ticket.

Sources close to him said he had not ruled out the possibility of reconsidering his decision to contest as a Congress candidate. Sangma had reportedly approached Lyngdoh on several occasions in June.