Editor,
The day when Pine City was enjoying its first Cherry music concert, I was returning from work as a pillion rider. It was already a little dark outside, and we were riding from Them Bijoy towards the highway junction that connects to the road towards Oxford, Kenches Trace, etc.
At that point, a driver of a large car, without caring about our movement, suddenly took a sharp turn at the junction which was actually a ‘no-entry’ for him. He did this only because he wanted to quickly reach his destination to take a turn towards Civil Hospital Road. This reckless shortcut caused an accident, and our two-wheeler was hit, leading to serious injuries to my left leg.
I earnestly request the Traffic Department to kindly depute some police personnel at this junction so that no vehicle can take such dangerous shortcut turns. Everyone should follow the proper route towards Anjalee point as per the Government’s traffic road map.
Please ensure that vehicles coming from Them Bijoy side can safely and properly take their designated route while entering the highway.
Yours etc.,
A concerned citizen
Name withheld on request,
Shillong
Congress needs a reality check, not play the blame game
Editor,
The editorial “NDA wins Bihar” (ST 15th November 2025) made interesting reading. It may be added that the Bihar Assembly elections shifted across 2015, 2020, and 2025. RJD fell sharply from 80 seats in 2015 to 75 in 2020 and further down to 25 in 2025 showing a steady decline. The Janata Dal (United) from 71 seats dropped to 43 in 2020 and resurged in 2025 to 85 seats reflecting Nitish Kumar’s comeback. The Indian National Congress collapsed from 27 seats in 2015 to 19 seats in 2020 and just 6 in 2025, its weakest position in decade. The BJP rose consistently from 53 seats in 2015 to 74 in 2020 and now in 2025 it registered a win in 89 segments, becoming the dominant force. The trends reveal that in 2015 Mahagathbandhan (RJD+ JD(U)+INC was strong and defeated the NDA. In 2020 NDA regained ground, BJP overtook JD(U) while RJD remained the single largest party. 2025 was an NDA landslide with 218/243 seats, BJP and JD(U) togethering dominating while the opposition collapsed. This makes it clear how BJP’s steady rise and JD(U)’s resilience reshaped Bihar’s political map while RJD and Congress steadily lost symbolic capital and voter trust.
The last three elections show Nitish Kumar’s adaptability and BJP’s growing dominance. RJD’s decline from 80 seats in 2015 to 25 in 2025 and Congress’ collapse from 27 to 6, highlights how Bihar’s politics shifted from caste-driven alliances to governance and stability narratives. Allegations against the Election Commission are not new in Indian politics, but they rarely explain such dramatic collapse in seat share. Blaming the CEC is a way to delegitimize the NDA’s sweeping victory and deflect attention from internal weaknesses.
The scale of the Congress’ defeat suggests structural and organisational issues – weak local leadership, poor alliance management and lack of resonance with voters rather than purely electoral malpractice. The bottom line: While raising concerns about electoral fairness is legitimate, Congress risks appearing evasive; it ignores the need for internal reforms and grassroots rebuilding. Congress’ blame on the CEC reflects frustration and political positioning, but the real challenge lies in reviving its organizational strength and reconnecting with Bihar’s electorate. Without introspection, blaming institutions may only deepen its decline.
Many within Congress itself including Mumtaz Patel and Shashi Tharoor urged the party to look inward, citing leadership disconnect from grassroots workers and failure to connect with women and youth voters. Reports noted that Rahul Gandhi’s promises and Congress’ messaging did not resonate with Bihar’s electorate, who largely backed the NDA’s governance narrative. Nitish Kumar’s strength lies not in ideological rigidity but in adaptive pragmatism. He has shown that survival in Bihar’s politics requires flexibility, symbolic resonance and the ability to balance caste equations with development narratives. His governance reforms gave him credibility, while his coalition manoeuvres ensured he never became politically obsolete.
Yours etc;
VK Lyngdoh
Via email
Cherry Blossom Fest
Editor,
The Cherry Blossom Festival is over and done with but there are many who for various reasons will raise questions about its ability to address the multitude problems of the state such as youth unemployment and such issues. People don’t seem to want anything happening in Meghalaya. Is it not the Cherry Blossom Festival that has turned Shillong into a sought after destination for concert lovers from across the country? Haven’t our home-stay owners, guest houses and hoteliers gained from the festival? There are spin-offs to such festivals where café owners, bars and restaurants too get their fair share of customers. And every restaurant needs to buy enough local products from shops in Iewduh and elsewhere so there are economic transactions that go beyond the ticket sales to the Festival itself.
The event management team behind the Cherry Blossom Festival has worked the whole year round to ensure that contracts with the international performers are firmed up and there are no lost minute glitches that could spoil the show. This is no cakewalk and I am sure the Rockski team have missed many a heartbeat until the final event is accomplished. To berate all that the event management team has put together and link this to the larger issue of the state is a puerile argument by those who have a heartburn against anything and everything the Government seeks to do.
There are several areas of governance that need to be improved and those eternal complainants can instead give their list of suggestions on how to generate employment and in which sectors. After all, if some individual or group is unhappy with the Government and that will always be the case because according to some critics the Government can never do the right thing, they should submit a list of their own recommendations. I am sure that those in Government will give such progressive souls a patient hearing and even try out their ideas if they are sound enough. However such people should base their recommendations based on sound research which should be based on regional differences within Meghalaya.
Personally I feel that if concerned citizens take the trouble to place their grievances before the Government rather than rave and rant on social media there might be better hope of Meghalaya moving in the right direction. Having said that, I wish to tell the Government that as a resident of 4th Furlong the noise from the concert venue after 10 PM was nerve-wracking. Some of my friends residing around Polo area too felt the decibel almost earth shattering. Polo Ground is certainly not the place for such events. In the west concerts are held during the day time. Why must concerts here begin late and end past midnight? And can the Government or event managers find empty spaces beyond Shillong? Remember how the NH7 Weekender Festival used to be held away from the city in open spaces? So dear Government please ensure that the next Pink Festival is held at a place that can take the heart thumping decibels without disrupting anyone’s health or sleep.
Yours etc.,
Irena Sawkmie,
Via email
