HSPDP slams ‘hasty’ delimitation

SHILLONG, Sep 11: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over the recent delimitation exercise of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), accusing the state government of rushing the process.
The party believes the delimitation should have been completed before the expiry of the current executive committee’s tenure, eliminating the need for an extension.
“We wanted the MDC elections to proceed as usual, but since the government constituted the delimitation committee, the party is unhappy with how hastily they conducted the process,” said HSPDP chief KP Pangniang.
He further criticised the timing, saying, “The adjustment and arrangement of villages should have been done before the start of the district council’s term.”
Pangniang emphasised that while the term of the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) ends every five years, the delimitation task was taken up too late.
The HSPDP chief argued that the exercise should have been completed before the term’s conclusion to ensure smooth elections.
Reacting to a statement by the Voice of the People Party (VPP), which accused the state government of delaying the ADC polls out of fear of losing to them, Pangniang said, “Whether they are scared or not, we have no issue. The HSPDP had prepared earlier as well, but the delay occurred due to the extension of the term.”
The recent extension of the terms of both the KHADC and JHADC has drawn criticism, particularly from the opposition VPP. The party accused the government of using its power to delay the elections to avoid potential losses.