Verdict 2013: Border dispute, influx to dominate poll manifestos
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With no new scams and burning problems in sight, political parties are poised to rake up the clichéd agenda to woo voters in the run up to the 2013 Assembly elections.
Border dispute, influx and the need to have stability are some of the age-old issues which all the political parties will be raising again during the pre-poll campaign.
However, when contacted, majority of political parties indicated that though the border dispute and influx seem clichéd, the issues still have relevance in the present context.
The HSPDP as usual is banking on the issue of creation of Khasi-Jaintia state and it wants to popularize the agenda among the masses.
The HSPDP leader HS Lyngdoh recently said that this agenda would figure in the HSPDP campaign till the formation of a separate state.
UDP, KHNAM, NCP, NPP, BJP and MDP are keen to place familiar issues like the border dispute and influx in their poll manifesto.
Moreover, both the NCP and NPP will also take up the worsening law and order situation in Garo Hills during the election campaign.
The state BJP, however, has decided to focus on the problems being faced by the people of the state due to the price rise in the context of hike in prices of diesel and LPG.
The political parties in the state are yet to finalize the election manifesto as they are still on the task of finalizing their candidates.
With the Congress-led Government going slow on the issue of uranium mining, this is unlikely to find any space in the election manifesto of the political parties.
Unlike the past, there is hardly be any scathing attack on the present Government by Opposition parties or coalition partners as the State prepares for the elections.
A senior Congress leader said that while the majority of political parties will be focusing on the clichéd agenda and are ready to take on the Congress on its various omissions and commissions which are yet to be made known, the Congress leadership will harp on the blessings to the people due to the creation of several new districts and launching of several road projects in the State.
He claimed that the performance of the Congress-led MUA coalition government has silenced the opponents.
“We have taken up positive steps to address the border issue by submitting relevant documents to Assam Government and also formed committees to address the problem of influx,” he added.
