Season of promises for Meghalaya voters

Though the coalition members have decided to fight the polls separately, the ruling NPP is confident of its comeback with a slew of promises. TMC, Congress and BJP too have left no stone unturned to woo the voters.

The generally cooler climes of picturesque Meghalaya is seeing a lot of heat and dust these days as the northeastern hilly State is left with only a week's time for the elections to its 60-member Assembly. Polling in the State is slated for 27th February while counting will be held on 2nd March.

While the major parties in the fray are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters, ruling National People's Party (NPP) seems quite confident of becoming the single-largest party in the House and forming the government again. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has assured that if voted back to power, his foremost aim will be on identification and utilization of the State's sporting potential with world-class facilities. He has also promised to arrange a thousand Chief Minister's Facilitation Centres to render government services.

The Congress party, on the other hand, has received several red flags by its own party members with former CM and party's main face Mukul Sangma joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in November 2021. The party currently seems no more relevant in the State's electoral politics. It, however, is trying hard to regain its lost sheen with party MP Vincent Pala contesting the Assembly polls this time. Pala, who represents Shillong parliamentary constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha, was elected in 2009 and 2014 also.

In the recent year, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC has grown leaps and bounds at the expense of the Congress. It has turned the main Opposition in the State after several Congress leaders joined its ranks. The West Bengal CM has urged the people to remove the "proxy BJP government" which "is corrupt and has done nothing for the masses." The party has promised the voters to "empower them, uphold the local culture and celebrate the sacred land."

In another populist promise, the TMC supremo has also announced to give Rs 1,000 allowance to every woman if voted to power. Previously, Banerjee had launched a scheme named 'WE Card' promising financial assistance to women and the scheme has received good response with recording 3.5 lakh registrations so far.

On its part, the BJP has offered 33% reservation in government jobs for the women of Meghalaya and Rs 5-a-meal through its canteens, free education to girls from KG to PG, free scooters for female college toppers. It has also promised to provide a government bond of Rs 50,000 on the birth of a girl child and an all-woman police battalion, if it is voted to power in the State.

Meanwhile, in a major development, the member parties of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), which formed the present coalition government after the election results were declared in 2018, declared last year that they would contest the upcoming polls separately. However, to get the final twist, keep an eye on these columns on the counting day.