Reflections on a State Election: Meghalaya 2023

Shillong, February 10: There is something very civilised in the way Meghalaya is gearing up for its state elections. For an observer used to the noise and mudslinging that has come to be synonymous with electoral politics in the rest of India, particularly the Hindi heartland, the gentle decency of candidates adhering to issues at hand and raising and debating issues of importance to the people was a very pleasant revelation.

In fact, it took someone coming in from outside to start the ‘name calling,’ with the Congress Party’s Jairam Ramesh referring to Mukul Sangma, the former Congress party leader who defected to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) last year, as ‘Judas’. The analogy would find resonance in the Christian majority state, but, as Patricia Mukhim, Editor of the Shillong Times, told this reporter, it was an unfair portrayal because the Congress party needed to introspect on just why Mukul Sangma, who was Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, felt compelled to leave the party. And correct those issues if it wants to remain relevant.

After all, though it could not form the government, the Congress was the single largest party in the previous (2018) elections, with 21 MLAs, all of whom have now left the party, with most of its legislators moving almost overnight to the TMC. Apparently, the ‘high command’s’ decision to bring in Vincent Pala, a 3 – term Member of Parliament from Shillong, to head the state unit, caused the local legislators to move out. Pala, from a wealthy coal-mining family, has been valiantly carrying the party flag and, while admitting the party has faced “setbacks,” is campaigning hard along with a bunch of young, educated, new people whose vision appears more in sync with the requirements of the hill state’s younger population.

Some of this vision and democratic best practices were on view when, in what can be best described as a town hall meet, leaders of eight political parties and combinations converged at the local Synod College (on February 9) and outlined the main components of their political agendas for these polls, due on February 27. It was a bit ironic that the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) went unrepresented at this first effort to provide a platform for all parties to lay out their agendas and take questions from students and people who are voters, but all other parties, including the Congress, TMC and BJP, KAM Meghalaya, VPP (Voice of People’s Party), PDF, HSPDP, and UDP, were represented.

At the interaction organised by the Synod College’s Department of Political Science, called “Political Parties’ Agenda – A Public Interface,” the eight leaders and party spokespersons highlighted their priorities.

Manuel Badwar, the Congress candidate from East Shillong, said his party was focused on the need to improve the state’s education system and proposed to set up community colleges for students who couldn’t afford normal colleges and also to establish a state university. Quoting a NITI Aayog report, Badwar said, the more educated the person is the more unemployable he/she becomes. “We will address the unemployment problem right from the grassroots. And we can do this by plugging in to the online sales portals like Amazon, who bring in several trucks of goods from outside the state but go back carrying nothing. Meghalaya can create a marketing hub and delivery centre where online merchants like Amazon can source products from Meghalaya, creating employment avenues and job opportunities for the youth,” Badwar said.

Meghalaya, with a population of 38 lakh people (3.8 million) generates internal revenue of Rs 2,900 crore while Sikkim, with only eight lakh people, generates internal revenue of Rs 4,600 crore.

Leaders of all the parties present spoke of the need to revamp the health and education sector and addressed unemployment issues. The United Democratic Party (UDP) representative Allantry F Dkhar added that the UDP-led government had also tried to resolve the inter-state border dispute with Assam.

BJP state spokesperson, GF Shullai said that his party had not released their manifesto, as they are trying to incorporate some new issues in the manifesto. “The only agenda of the party is to serve the people of the state,” he said, evoking some skepticism from the audience. Shullai, whose party is supporting the Conrad Sangma-led NPP in Meghalaya, spoke of how people have benefited from the programmes initiated by the BJP-led government at the Centre, including getting free rice.

TMC leader, Fabian Lyngdoh said his party would revive and strengthen Meghalaya’s economy by reducing revenue leakage and reducing corruption. “Meghalaya is resource rich yet its people are poor because the resources have not been adequately capitalised.” Lyngdoh, whose party is expected to gain significantly in these elections, said the TMC would aim to restore Meghalaya’s status as the education hub of the Northeast.

Criticising the BJP, the KAM Meghalaya North Shillong candidate, Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh said the BJP did not respect constitutional values and was destroying the federal structure of the country. “We are committed to promoting participatory democracy,” Pyrtuh said.

What was heartening was the civility of the exchanges, with no attempts to denigrate political opponents. However, what was ironic at this meeting was, that in a matrilineal society, where almost 41% of households are headed by single women, there was not a single woman among the political parties’ representatives on the dais.

Mukhim lamented this fact, saying therefore grave issues of high infant and maternal mortality 52% anaemia among women received no mention. Given the overall paucity of data, Mukhim urged the need for gender budgeting especially on health issues.

It was interesting to observe how focused the parties and the voters were on issues of vital importance to the state, and how vocal the voters are on seeking their basic rights. From the very local to an example of what genuine  democracy should reflect. – INDA NEWS STREAM