The verdict in the two district of Khasi Hills has gone overwhelmingly in favour of the State based parties.
The results of the District Council election which were announced here on March 21 , show that against 23 seats of the State-based parties, the Congress-I the only National Party to contest, secured a poor three.
The APHLC – HSPDP alliance has secured an absolute majority by bagging 21 seats out of 29. The other local party, PDIC, which has obtained two seats, is in league with the Congress(I). Among the three Independents are two Ministers – Mr Kitdor Syiem and Dr F A Khonglam (who had defected from the APHLC and the HSPDP respectively in the wake of ministerial instability last year). The third Independent is the mercurial young leader of the Hynniewtrep National Front (HNF).
One seat will be nominated by the govt.
Observers say that the results of the District Council election have only brought out the hard truth that the Congress(I) is yet to find grass-root level acceptance in the district. The verdict is unlikely to have any immediate ramification on the state politics, but it would certainly bring pressure on the three defeated Ministers. The roaring success of the HSPDP is likely to embolden those detractors of the so called unity move, observers say.
The HSPDP President, Mr Hopingstone Lyngdoh told this reporter that the election results had shown that the people had not accepted the present Ministry. Both in 1983 and 1984, the people of Khasi Hills had rejected the national parties.