Call for boycott of LS polls
SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh was on Wednesday non-committal on whether the government would try to address the grievances of the people of Maweit in West Khasi Hills who have decided to boycott the forth coming Lok Sabha election alleging step-motherly treatment met out by the State.
The people were resentful over the fact that the repair of the 35 km road connecting the village to district headquarters Nongstoin was not taken up by the government since statehood.
Replying to a call attention motion moved by HSPDP legislator Witting Mawsor on the plight of the villagers Lyngdoh said, “My reply would be specific on the various notions why the villagers should exercise their votes.”
Earlier, while moving the call attention motion to a news report that appeared in a local vernacular daily Mawsor said, “It is really sad that the people of Maweit have been suffering for the past many years due to the lackadaisical attitude of the State Government. The people have been compelled to take this drastic step since the Government continually turned a blind eye to their problems.”
Mawsor also informed that majority of the villagers also boycotted the recent district council elections and Shyrkon polling station which is in Maweit under Nongstoin constituency had a turnout of less than 2 per cent with only seven voters casting their votes out of a total of 355 people enlisted in the electoral rolls.