meghalaya elections

Meghalaya is set to embark on an extensive revision of its electoral rolls, with the Chief Electoral Officer announcing complete readiness. Starting June 30th, booth level officers will conduct a meticulous house-to-house survey, paving the way for the draft roll publication slated for August 5th.

In a significant crackdown, authorities have taken over 27 individuals into custody, including the contentious former GHADC member, Sofiur Rahman. This follows intense clashes sparked by protests against non-tribal participation in district council elections. Rahman is under scrutiny for allegedly fueling communal tension via his social media activity.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Meghalaya Election Watch analyzed the criminal financial and other background details of 41 sitting members of the 60-seat assembly and found that 71 of the outgoing MLAs are crorepatis. Nineteen seats are vacant in the assembly. A statement issued by the ADR revealed on Monday that "altogether 1470 out of 20 MLAs from NPP, 563 out of 8 MLAs from AITC, 675 out of 8 MLAs from United Democratic Party, 3100 out of 3 MLAs from BJP, and 1 50 out of 2 from Peoples Democratic Front have declared assets valued over Rs 1 crore."

The district election officer, East Khasi Hills, on Wednesday said the election expenditure observers for the upcoming assembly election have arrived in Shillong and are staying at the State Convention Centre

The BJP has blamed alleged Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh for recent violence in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills, citing demographic shifts and attempts to usurp tribal rights. Tensions escalated after tribals protested non-tribal nominations for council elections, following a high court ruling.

Congress is ruling Meghalaya. The saffron party is emboldened after its victory in Assam polls last year and forming governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

With election trends projecting that the Congress could emerge as the single-largest party in Meghalaya, the party has rushed two senior leaders to the northeastern state to explore possibilities of forming a government.

More than 5,000 residents of Boklapara, situated on the interstate border zone adjacent to lower Assam's Kamrup district, will vote for better healthcare and education in the coming Meghalaya election. The border dispute issue has been pushed to the backseat by political parties as of now.

"We are taking the Meghalaya election very seriously.It is not an ordinary election because polls this year will witness a fight between two ideologies.

Election in Meghalaya is quite a family affair. The political heavyweights, along with their spouses and scions, are fighting it out to retain power in tomorrow's Assembly elections in the hill state.

Faced with the challenges of a difficult terrain, heavy rainfall and lack of mobile connectivity while conducting polls in the remote areas of the northeast, the Meghalaya election department has engaged 10 long distance 'runners' to act as links to polling stations in the Ranikor constituency on Thursday.

The Trinamool Congress has unveiled its star campaigners for the Meghalaya election with party supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew, topping the list.

The role of money power in picking contestants is evident from the fact that all major political parties have given tickets to wealthy candidates, observed the Meghalaya Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all 375 candidates who are in the fray for the February 27 polls.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which completed its 10th foundation day on Saturday, slammed the BJP government for keeping the inter-state border issue alive for political gains.

According to sources, senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath left for Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with independents in Meghalaya to form a government in the state.

The Meghalaya election department has deployed all-women flying squads to check home-brewed liquor production in Sohiong, where the assembly byelection is scheduled to be held on May 10 and the model code of conduct is currently in force.

The ANVC (B), a breakaway faction of militant outfit A'Chik National Volunteer Council (ANVC), which is on a ceasefire agreement with the Centre and the state government, has announced that it would not support any political party in the assembly election scheduled for February 23.

Coming down heavily on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his charge that the Trinamool Congress was in cahoots with the BJP, TMC leader Mahua Moitra on Thursday said her party was the only national alternative to the saffron party. The TMC MP's remarks came in response to Rahul's claim on Wednesday that the ruling party in West Bengal was contesting the Meghalaya assembly polls to 'help' the BJP win.

The tribal population along these border areas vote in both the states, with no resolution to the ongoing inter-state border dispute in sight.For these voters, the most significant issue is better civic amenities.

The BJP and the Congress tore into each other after the Meghalaya unit of the BJP, in an apparent bid to get even with Rahul Gandhi over his "suit-boot" jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claimed the Congress chief wore a jacket worth Rs 63,000 to a concert in Shillong on Tuesday.

The ongoing rivalry between allies-turned-foes, BJP and NPP, turned bitter after Meghalaya sports and youth affairs directorate denied BJP permission to use a public stadium at Tura for organising a campaign rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24.

The undulating meadows of Sutgna, about 131 km from here in the East Khasi Hills district, once lush with terraced rice fields, is today a dusty and muddy basin.

Mamata has already sounded the poll bugle for state polls in Meghalaya, vowing to oust the MDA government headed by chief minister Conrad Sangma.