The odds may appear not to favour the ruling party The odds may appear not to favour the ruling party as Meghalaya heads for the Assembly elections early next year, but senior Congress minister and Williamnagar legislator Deborah C. Marak hints that it would be wrong to discount the oldest national party, which she says is still “the strongest” and capable of taking on the rest on its own. Deborah, who began her political career as a student leader and first contested from the Congress in 1998 and won, admits shortcomings still exist in certain sectors, but in general, the performance of the MUA-II government has been satisfactory.One of the four Congress women legislators to find a place in the Mukul Sangma Cabinet in 2013, the senior politician while downplaying the role of BJP in Meghalaya, is positive that the Congress will get 15 plus seats in Garo Hills.Currently burning midnight oil with visits to at least three polling booths per day in her constituency, Deborah says that regardless of what the trends may portray, a clearer picture in regard to which side the political scales sway will only emerge by January. Saurav Bora caught up with the seasoned politician in her office at the Secretariat on Wednesday evening.
Here are the excerpts:
ST: Will anti-incumbency affect chances of Congress in the 2018 Assembly elections?
Deborah: See, the anti-incumbency factor will always be there and ruling parties, not just here, but in any state of the country, have been affected by it…But compared to the other states, I feel that the extent of anti-incumbency is less in Meghalaya.
ST: How do you assess the performance of the MUA-II government?
Deborah: I would say that the overall performance has been good… If you ask me to rate the performance, I would give eight on a scale of 10 (smiles)…Compared to other governments, we have done better…we have worked collectively…
ST: But roads, water and healthcare leave a lot to be desired?
Deborah: (Pauses)…In Garo Hills, there has been progress in the road sector…Over the past decade, many national highways have come up, thanks to the initiative of the state government. But yes, in Khasi/Jaintia Hills, although I have not visited the interior roads, there is room for improvement in some parts.
In the education sector, we have improved every year as far as matriculation exam results are concerned…But there is still scope for improvement in the rural areas compared to urban areas which has its share of institutions apart from missionary and private schools…Healthcare and basic amenities such as water supply too require attention…
ST: Will the presence of BJP affect the prospects of Congress?
Deborah: No…May be in other states, but not in Meghalaya…I would say that the people of Meghalaya have no reason to opt for BJP… There are so many alternatives… if people don’t like the old founders (Congress), they have options like NPP or regional parties… I don’t see any prospects favouring BJP…
ST: NPP apparently is gaining more people ahead of the polls and seems to be giving Congress a tough fight in both Garo and Khasi/Jaintia Hills. Do you agree?
Deborah: In Khasi Hills they may be gaining the numbers, but in Garo Hills, we have a straight fight with NPP and the Congress will be the strongest party…But I don’t want to comment on what other parties are doing…every party has a strategy because elections always pose a challenge…we are also making ours…Everybody thinks that the fight in the next elections will be between Congress and NPP, because in the Lok Sabha elections, you have seen that the NPP had won by a big margin. But Assembly elections are different…you cannot compare Lok Sabha with Assembly elections.
ST: Is the UDP-HSPDP-GNC alliance a threat?
Deborah: Such alliances are always formed before elections They are never a threat to Congress, which has always fought alone. We feel we are strong enough to fight alone… we don’t need an alliance…
ST: But the regional parties have found common ground this time?
Deborah: We should also know why…They are coming together because they don’t have the numbers if they were to fight as a single party…(Smiles)
ST: Of the 24 seats in Garo Hills, how many will the Congress win?
Deborah: (Pauses) We are expecting 15 plus…Let’s see…this is my anticipation…things will only be clear by January…
ST: Your comment on the exodus of Congress leaders to other parties…
Deborah: I don’t know…I have not spoken to them in this regard…Personally I feel there may be a misunderstanding at the block level…
ST: Will you favour chief minister Mukul Sangma to continue as leader after the polls?
Deborah: (Pauses and smiles) Normally in Congress, we take decisions after the elections…the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) takes that decision…we elect a CLP leader after the polls.
ST: Is the Congress eyeing single largest majority in the polls?
Deborah: Yes, I would think so…(smiles)
ST: What is your assessment of Williamnagar constituency?
Deborah: For me, I would say I’m doing well…I am always with the people…I work round the clock….I have given priority to education…as I think if this sector develops, the rest follow…I have streamlined things in the sector…set up government colleges besides funding missionary schools. The road sector has seen developments with two beautiful highways in the constituency, the interior roads are better now and bridges have come up…
ST: Lastly, should political parties field more female candidates in the polls?
Deborah: (Laughs) Yes…the more the merrier…