GG News Bureau
Shillong, 27th Feb. After intense campaigning by all political parties, the people of Meghalaya are set to vote in the assembly elections on Monday, deciding the political fate of 369 candidates.
The polls this year feature multiple players, including the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Congress, as well as the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, which is hoping to cut its electoral teeth in this Northeast state.
On Monday, over 21 lakh voters in 59 poll-bound constituencies will decide the fates of the competing parties.
The Election Commission reports that voting will take place in 3,419 polling stations across the state. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. on Monday.
However, voting in the Sohiong Assembly constituency has been postponed due to the death of former state Home Minister and UDP candidate for the seat, HDR Lyngdoh.
The National People’s Party had the most seats in the now-defunct Meghalaya Assembly, with 20, followed by the United Democratic Party, which had eight. Moreover, BJP and the People’s Democratic Front held two seats each. However, as many as 20 seats remained vacant as a result of multiple resignations by Assembly members.
Meghalaya has 60 Assembly constituencies, 36 of which are in the Khasi, Jaintia Hills region, and 24 in the Garo Hills region.
Though the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 Assembly elections, winning 21 of 60 seats, the National People’s Party (NPP), which won 20 seats, formed the government after forging post-election alliances with regional parties and the BJP. Six seats were won by the United Democratic Party (UDP)
The ruling NPP is contesting 57 seats, while the Trinamool Congress is contesting 56. The United Democratic Party is running for 46 seats in the legislature.
The NPP, which went with the BJP in the last assembly elections, aims to secure a majority on its own steam and return to power for a second straight term.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which became the main opposition party in Meghalaya in 2021 after the defection of 12 Congress MLAs, has emerged as a political force to be reckoned with since former chief minister Mukul Sangma joined its ranks. The TMC ran candidates for 58 seats, including the coveted Shillong seat.
As the NPP seeks to retain power and the BJP and other parties seek to derail their plans, here is a look at the constituencies that are likely to pit the contesting parties in a fierce battle in Monday’s polling.
South Tura
The first on the list is South Tura, where Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is pitted against BJP candidate Bernard N Marak. Brenzield Ch Marak has been nominated by the Congress for this seat.
Shillong West
The BJP has fielded its state chief Ernest Mawrie, who is one of the party’s most noticeable faces in the state, in West Shillong. The ruling NPP’s candidate, Mohendro Rapsang, is up against the TMC’s Iwan Maria.
Sutnga Saipung
The seat is significant because the state chief of the Congress, Vincent Pala, is running for the first time from the Sutnga Saipung constituency. Pala’s election performance could have a significant impact on Meghalaya’s political landscape.
He is currently the Member of Parliament for Shillong and will face incumbent Sutnga Saipung MLA Shitlang Pale of the UDP, NPP candidate Santa Mary Shylla, and BJP candidate Krison Langstang.
Tikrikilla and Songsak
These two seats have gained prominence because Mukul Sangma, the former chief minister and current Leader of the Opposition in Meghalaya, is contesting them on a TMC ticket.
Sangma was elected as a Congress candidate in both the Ampati and Songsak constituencies in 2018.
However, in 2021, he resigned from the Congress and joined the Trinamool Congress.
Sangma will be challenged in Songsak by the NPP’s Nihim D Shira, the INC’s Champion R Sangma, and the BJP’s Thomas N Marak.
In Tikrikilla, he will face NPP MLA Jimmy D Sangma, Congress MLA Dr Kapin Ch Boro, BJP MLA Rahinath Barchung Rabha, and UDP MLA Julius T Sangma.
There are over 21 lakh voters (21,75,236), with 10.99 lakh women and 10.68 lakh men voting. In Meghalaya, there are more female voters than male voters. The state has approximately 81,000 first-time voters.
There are 369 candidates in the running, 36 of whom are women.
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