Shillong, Nov 23: State Congress Party leader Manuel Badwar has expressed hope that his party will do well in the upcoming Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections.
“We are hopeful of doing well in the GHADC election and plan to field as many candidates as possible,” he told HP.
When asked about the impact of the bailout of GHADC staff salaries on the election, Badwar said it should not have been accepted in the first place. “This undermines the authority of the district council and goes against the Sixth Schedule,” he added, criticizing the current government’s philosophy of “throwing money and watching the show.”
Speaking about the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, Badwar said it was heartening to see workers, especially youth, returning to the state Congress. “It’s not necessary to start looking for candidates at each block right now, but the objective is to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. We’ve had a meeting in Ri-Bhoi District, and the party is reviving there, from Jirang to Umroi. The same is happening in other constituencies, where Congress is gaining ground and becoming stronger.”
He noted that in West Khasi Hills, a meeting is scheduled next week, with hundreds of district workers expressing eagerness to join. “In Meghalaya, while we currently may not have prominent leaders with long political histories, what matters is that the party has a strong grassroots organization. We’re moving in the right direction, and by June next year, we’ll be more ready. We’ll try to bring in fresh faces, except for certain old, capable faces—not opportunists who prioritize serving themselves over the public and the state.”
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative, Badwar stressed that they’re taking it seriously, having met with the Chief Election Officers along with other parties. “I don’t know how people perceive the SIR effectiveness in Meghalaya, but given the less-than-fair elections, we’re ensuring we have enough block-level agents to work with government officers. We’ve gathered volunteers and are submitting their names to the district commissioner’s office to make SIR functional, especially considering porous borders like Jirang, Dalu, and Phulbari.”
