SHILLONG, Feb 19: The sensitive West Shillong constituency is on the cusp of finding its new representative in the February 27 polls and the constituency in last two elections has seen a direct battle between the sitting MLA Mohendro Rapsang and former MLA and sitting MDC Paul Lyngdoh.
While the contest between the two was always intense, the entry of BJP state president Ernest Mawrie into the fray has only spiced up the contest this time.
Since 2013, the constituency has seen a fierce battle between two political giants and even this time the situation remains unpredictable with recent incidents of clashes occurring between UDP and NPP supporters.
Considering the fact that the constituency has voted substantially for BJP in Lok Sabha polls, it is for sure that BJP’s committed votes will eat away support base of other two contenders.
In the midst of all the campaign, meetings by the candidates, the voters in the urban constituency long for heightened pace of development for ensuring ease of living.
The constituency comprises important localities like Mawbah, Mawprem, Lama Villa and Jaiaw Langsning and this reporter spoke to voters from different areas to know the development aspects and the expectations.
Rangbah Shnong of Mawbah, David Syiemlieh said that his locality definitely has many pending issues including issues of drainage and roads.
“Water problem and street lighting have improved no doubt,” he said while informing that developmental activities took a back seat following the two-year long COVID-19 situation.
When asked about the performance of the sitting MLA, the Rangbah Shnong said that he will not say that the sitting MLA has not done anything.
“Roads and drainage work is going on and we hope the new MLA would complete it at the earliest,” he added.
As the constituency is situated right in the heart of the capital city, some parts of the constituency also face other challenges of drug abuse, congestion and poverty and the voters wants an immediate resolution of these long neglected issues.
Another person who stays in Lumdiengjri and is a teacher by profession said that the public transportation in the constituency should be attended to.
“However I feel it is the traffic management that needs better resolution,” the teacher said.
On being asked about expectations from the MLA, he said everyone expects their leaders to be honest even though the so called leaders who always claim big before election fall short on delivering.
The constituency is also important for its schools, private tuition institutes, besides bustling commerce and trade. The constituency is overwhelmingly cosmopolitan in nature as people from all faiths, linguistic and ethnic communities reside here.
As the sound of azan echoed from a nearby mosque at Mawbah, worshippers were seen praying in a nearby temple. M Chettri, a housewife who was buying groceries said that the constituency needs good and all weather roads.
She admitted that her locality has basic amenities, adding that street lighting needs attention.
“Stray dogs are also a problem here as these dogs often bite pedestrians, especially children and the elderly,” she added.
Recalling the recent fire incident in which fire tenders faced huge problems to reach to the spot due to inaccessible roads, Chettri said that the constituency also needs proper parking places for residents to park the ever increasing number of cars. The sight of jammed roads is a daily affair as automobiles are mostly parked on the road.
Expressing satisfaction over the performance of the sitting MLA, she added that the political leaders from every party must visit different localities periodically throughout the five years.
Politically, the constituency is very sensitive as tensions often run high here and even in this election, the constituency has already seen clashes between the supporters of two political parties and taking note of the sensitivity of the constituency, the police has already increased its deployment and the constituency is under constant monitoring.
Sughand Lohagun, a young student who studies in a Higher Secondary School in the area who is going to vote for the first time in this election as a first time voter, said he would want his future MLA to expand the roads so that essential services continue to function during any disaster in the constituency
As he walks to his school, Lohagun while pointing out to garbage lying on the road maintained that as a citizen of the constituency and the state, he would also want his constituency to remain clean and eco-friendly since not only his constituency but the entire Shillong city has become a concrete jungle.
In the 2018 polls, sitting MLA Mohendro Rapsang comprehensively defeated his rival Paul Lyngdoh from UDP as Rapsang had secured 10,288 votes while Lyngdoh had secured 8,304 votes. Rapsang had contested the polls as a Congress candidate in 2018.
However, this time, the question everyone is asking is whether BJP’s invigorated approach will create upset or will the constituency continue to go with the experienced political figures who have been locked in one-on-one contest against each other for the last two elections.
