Plaid Cymru turned to its grass roots activists to decide on the future of its Westminster MPs.

The party's chief executive Karl Davies said the decisions of the constituency parties in Ynys Mon and Caernarfon not to call by-elections was the right one.

Party members in Ynys Mon and Caernarfon agreed their sitting MPs Ieuan Wyn Jones and Dafydd Wigley would stay on until the 2002 General Election.

It follows Cynog Dafis's decision to stand down as MP for Ceredigion and concentrate on his National Assembly duties as Member for Mid and West Wales.

The issue of Plaid's representatives continuing in Westminster arose over dual mandates - holding the jobs of MPs in Westminster and Assembly Members in Cardiff.

"The National Executive had decided the constituencies should come to a decision themselves," Mr Davies told BBC News Online.

"It was felt they would know far better if there was a feeling in the constituency that there should be a by-election.

"In both cases, none of the branch representatives felt there should be.

"In the case of Cynog Dafis, he represented two different seats, with his role as Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales covering a large area of Wales.

'Party platform'

Mr Davies added: "With Dafydd Wigley as the party leader, we felt that it was important that we should continue to have a presence and party platform in Westminster, because of the decisions that are made there, such as Objective One."

Mr Jones told the committee meeting in Llangefni on Friday that he had made it clear at the last General Election that he would stand down in 2002.

The announcement follows speculation that Mr Jones would follow party colleague Cynog Dafis's move to quit as MP for Ceredigion to concentrate on his duties as a National Assembly member.

Plaid launched its campaign for the Ceredigion by-election this week, after an announcement in the House of Commons.

Party leaders told a news conference in Westminster that the campaign would become the "Objective One" by-election - in a reference to the continuing debate over European aid.

Voters will go to the polls in the constituency on 3 February.

'Running scared'

Plaid officials rejected claims from Labour that they were "running scared" by holding the by-election so quickly after Mr Dafis stood down as an MP.

It has emerged that the election will take place using an electoral register compiled in October 1998.

A spokesperson for Ceredigion Council - which is in charge of the register - admitted that a number of people living in the constituency would not be allowed to vote.

New register

The council confirmed that a new register would not come into force until 15 February - almost two weeks after the by-election.

The spokesperson said it was impossible to estimate how many people would lose out - but the figure was expected to be less than 5,000.

The only party that has finished selecting a candidate for the Ceredigion seat is Plaid Cymru.

The party has chosen 36-year-old Simon Thomas, a rural development manager.