Mawlai Mawdatbaki tagged with Jaiaw constituency
SHILLONG: With less than two weeks left for the election to the KHADC, the Dorbar Shnong of Mawlai Mawdatbaki along with the Seng Samla has expressed its strong resentment over the faulty delimitation of constituencies by the Council.
The Dorbar Shnong is unhappy with the delimitation since three blocks of Mawlai Nongmali have been detached from Mawlai constituency, which it says is against the wishes of the people of the locality.
Questioning the logic behind aligning Mawlai Nongmali with Jaiaw constituency, BR Kharmujai, Rangbah Shnong of Mawlai Mawdatbaki said that the Council had gone ahead with the delimitation despite a representation being submitted by the Dorbar Shnong to the Delimitation Committee opposing the move to align Mawlai Nongmali with Jaiaw constituency.
“The manner in which the delimitation exercise was carried out is an insult not only to the residents of Mawlai but the Dorbar Shnong as well,” president of Seng Samla Mawlai Mawdatbaki, W Kharpran, said on Tuesday.
“We had also opposed this proposed delimitation move during the public hearing held at the KHADC office on December 2 last. We had expressed our views that there should not be any realignment of Mawlai constituency and Mawlai Nongmali should remain with Mawlai constituency since this in sync with the voice of the majority of the people of the locality,” Kharmujai said.
He also pointed out that if the Council had followed the delimitation procedure as per the Assembly delimitation of constituencies by aligning Mawlai Nongmali with Shillong North, they would not have been any problem.
“The State Government had earlier justified keeping Mawlai Nongmali with Shillong North on the ground that it falls under the Urban map. But there is no justification for the Council to align the locality with Jaiaw,” the Rangbah Shnong said.
Interestingly, the Delimitation Committee of the KHADC has created a division of the eight localities of Mawdatbaki by shifting Mali-I, Mali-II and Mali-III from Mawlai constituency to Jaiaw constituency while Nongpathaw, Mawapkhaw, Pdengshnong, Umjan and Pata have been kept under the Mawlai constituency.
However, the Delimitation Commission that oversaw the delimitation of the Assembly constituencies in 2009 had tagged Mali-I, Mali-II and Mali-III to Shillong North Assembly constituency.
Kharmujai also informed that they had approach the local MLA and MDC Embhah Syiemlieh to apprise him of the issue.
“Syiemlieh had assured that the delimitation would be done as per the delimited Assembly constituencies,” Kharmujai informed, while alleging that the local legislator had misled them.
Meanwhile, Kharpran informed that more than 70 per cent people of the locality are not aware that they have now been tagged with Jaiaw constituency. “Most people feel that they are still with Mawlai constituency,” he said.
Kharpran also informed that they would be holding at meeting in the locality on February 15 to decide on whether to participate in the February 24 election or boycott it.
It may be mentioned that Mawlai Mawdatbaki has around 6,000 voters including around 1600 voters in the three localities of Mali-I, Mali-II and Mali-III.