Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma has taken credit for the performance of the three candidates belonging to the coalition partners in the recent by-polls. Now the NPP has added two more MLAs to its kitty and a total of three to the coalition. This victory comes at a time when the Government is facing flak from several quarters, especially after the elimination of the erstwhile general secretary of the militant outfit – HNLC on August 13 last in what appeared to be a fake encounter. The report of the independent investigation into the case by a retired Chief Justice is still pending. In any case, reports for such enquiries take their own time and no one is any the wiser after the first flush of emotions are over and done with. Besides, public memory is short. And that precisely is the point about public reaction. It is always emotionally surcharged and emotions have a short-lived timeline.
While the results of Mawphlang and Mawryngkneng were somewhat predictable, it was the Rajabala outcome that was surprising. Going by the turnover at public rallies it looked as if the Congress was on top of things. But what brought the turnaround? Normally, by-elections have a different outcome in that people tend to vote for development which they believe will only come from the government in the seat of power. Voting for an opposition candidate might only slow down the process of development in that particular constituency. Considering that Rajabala has seen a very slow pace of development under previous MLAs and regimes, if the candidate from the ruling party promises a better development package people would naturally tend towards him than put their stakes in the Congress Party candidate. But it is also a fact that elections are difficult to predict and a by-poll also means that the state machinery is available to the ruling party.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma who is also the NPP Chief had been camping in Rajabala which in other words meant that he took this election as a personal challenge and so did the leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma. In this game of thrones between two stalwarts from Garo Hills the younger Sangma seems to have scored over the elder one. Conrad had made a public statement that good governance was what won the day for the MDA. Good governance encompasses several factors and reining in corruption should be at the top of the MDA government’s agenda. Conrad has exactly 15 months to prove that he recognises that corruption downgrades good governance.
