The VPP has romped home to victory and firmly established that people are craving for a change and are no longer willing to be taken for granted. A single-party victory in the KHADC has come after a long time and it gives the VPP a redoubtable mandate to fulfil its electoral promises without being hamstrung by other coalition partners. This election has also put to question the claims of regional parties like the UDP and HSPDP to be the bulwark of regional aspirations and to be addressing the specific needs of the tribal communities of Meghalaya. In the KHADC the UDP is reduced to 5 seats and HSPDP to just 1 seat. It shows a quantum shift of the electorate towards the VPP for reasons that require a deeper study by political analysts. It would be fair to say that the voting public of the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya have decided to repose their faith in the VPP as the political avant-garde that seeks to transform the way politics is done in Meghalaya. In fact, the VPP had proven that it is a force to reckon with after its Lok Sabha candidate Ricky Syngkon rode to victory without the usual pre-electoral extravaganza that marks other parties. The VPP enunciated its principles of fighting for clean election and clean governance and demonstrated it with visible action.
Voters in Meghalaya are fatigued and disillusioned by the corruption that underlines governance of the state. They see the growing divide in society between the affluent with political clout and the less fortunate who are pushed to the margins. It is this second category of voters who want to give the VPP a chance with the hope that this new party with its promise to revolutionise governance and remove corruption will succeed in its mission. Surprisingly the people of Jaintia Hills voted differently. In Jaintia Hills the VPP almost swept the polls in the Lok Sabha election but this time the NPP managed to get 13 seats. Of course, Deputy Chief Minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar must have had a hand in ensuring that his influence has not waned. After all Jaintia Hills with its rich coal resources is his and his family’s pocket borough. Losing the Jaintia ADC elections would put a spanner in the works. With 13 MDCs the NPP with its alliance partner in the MDA Government, the UDP would have a majority and perhaps rope in the Independents too.
Both the KHADC and JHADC have been found amiss in their functioning especially with the use of public funds. A weak bureaucracy due largely to limited resources and lack of accountability in financial matters as pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General repeatedly does not augur well for the Councils. Both Councils have to usher in transparency especially in appointments to different administrative positions for this will be keenly watched. In both the ADCs there is a strong Opposition which should play its role of an accountability watchdog, disciplining and questioning the Executive Council through the five years.
