By Naba Bhattacharjee
Elections to Meghalaya Legislative Assembly are due early next year. Hectic political activities have started in earnest. The candidates are on an overdrive, leaving nothing to chance, trying all options available; liberally splurging multiple inducements of all varieties and denomination. All avenues whether unchartered or not is traversed to ensure half a decade of celebrity status, glory and power with all its accompanying trappings – starting March 2013. The final splurge and splash of assorted techniques to woo the electorate – in most cases to “reconnect or “connect” with voters’, tops the agenda. This is one time when the electorate receives uninterrupted attention and optimal priority. As for sitting legislators, the battle is on to retain their respective seats while the challengers are out to wrest the coveted position.
The sitting legislators are definitely at an advantage with funds of various hues and nature at their disposal to emphasize on the final leg of “development” strategy. Yet, in overall progress as ascertained in the India Today State of the States conclave, Meghalaya has once again failed to make a mark in any of the sectors even among small states of North East. While a section of the “babus” brush it off as biased approach of India Today group, another section is of the more logical view that the numerous schemes and projects launched during last few years by Dr. Mukul Sangma’s government shall take some time to fructify and manifest their worth. Political instability is another vital reason. It is therefore imperative for the electorate to give a decisive verdict one way or other, for the state to come out of this quagmire of uncertainty.
Reverting back to politics, it is pertinent to discuss the function of politicians’ to-day. If politics is the science of government and art of governing, then evaluating a politician’s role is very important in run up to the polls. It is also to take stock as to what extent our leaders have been able to live up to the mandate and extent of influence on each by a value system; being replaced by a lucrative economic system – growth of unaccounted money and corruption becoming virtually sanctified. All aspirants for the forthcoming poll have assumed a role to take responsibility of their fellow citizens and it is thus essential for those politicians to observe certain code of behavior and propriety. It is time for our leaders to decide whether to become a true representative of the people or the more rewarding money spinning venture; punctuated occasionally with propaganda and pulpit preaching from the political platform. Further, political parties and people must also free themselves from the prevailing system which has grown on the belief that it is not necessary to have any specialization, minimum education qualification and knowledge for politicians to be representatives of the people. Thus once elected, it is in most cases gathering the fruits of power to secure the wherewithal for the future election. Meghalaya is unique in the sense that there is a very thin line between the ruling and opposition party, particularly in the Khasi – Pnar region. Two major parties will continue to share power as alliance partners till the last day and simultaneously fight the electoral battle as main rivals. This aspect confirms with clarity the lack of ideology and more of opportunistic and selfish agenda. The electorate is left with little to choose from among the contestants in absence of any divergent policy, programmee and principle or even a modicum of what the people can expect in terms of development and governance. Consequently, manifestos have been reduced to a mere formality, which very few bother to even give a second glance; leave aside read a cut and paste version of last few elections. This has resulted in increase of individuals carving political niches and parties depending more and more on individuals from outside the political realm emerging from the “economic system” rather than the groomed grass root aspirants from the “political system”. The situation is different in Garo Hills region where the ruling and opposition line is well delineated and is a question of one or the other- a genuine all out political battle for a mandate to rule; albeit led again basically by individual stalwarts.
The coming assembly election in Meghalaya, to be held for the first time after delimitation of constituencies, is poised to be a high voltage suspense thriller, fraught with upheavals and adequate dose of twist in the political tale. Areas or part thereof, which is to-day within a particular constituency, shall no longer form part of the reconstituted constituency, while new areas are included. Areas and localities which is “redundant” to-day for a particular legislator shall be extremely useful to another neighbouring or contiguous constituency. However, engineering of this “incoming” and “outgoing” area is not a simple arithmetic. In case of two adjoining constituencies where the respective MLA’s are not potential rivals in the coming polls, the transition is easy. The problem areas are where representatives of adjoining constituencies are faced with the reality of their constituencies or part thereof being merged and are potential contestants from the delimited constituency. The coming election shall witness contests between two sitting MLA’s in many constituencies for the first time, while in few areas the sitting MLA in all probability may not be a contestant. Consequently, one development that is certain is that quite a few sitting MLA,s shall not find a place in the next assembly, as only one can emerge victorious or even a proverbial dark horse overtaking both at the finishing line.
The inaugural polls in delimited constituencies have the potential of redefining the political scenario in the state where elections in most cases are individual centric rather than party driven dynamics as witnessed in bigger states of the mainland. There is hope that 2013 may be different with majority new generation of voters. In the forthcoming political churning, upheavals are expected to finally decide the new political contours of Meghalaya. The battle lines are being drawn with clinical precision.