Shillong, Oct 5: Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla today said MBBS seat allotment in the state is being carried out strictly on the basis of merit, following the introduction of a new standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Shylla said the SOPs were brought in to address complaints over the earlier system, where students with lower marks were allegedly getting preferred colleges while higher-scoring candidates were being left out.
“Earlier, there were no SOPs. Students who got lower marks were getting good colleges, while those with good marks were not getting good colleges. That is why we came up with the SOPs, where allotment is done according to merit,” he said.
Shylla’s comment comes in the wake of a NEET 2026 qualifier who secured an MBBS seat under the Meghalaya state quota but who surrendered his seat alleging unfair treatment during the counselling and seat allotment process.
The minister said the department decided to conduct a second round of counselling after students and parents flagged issues during the initial stage.
Shylla said the revised process allows eligible students to select colleges based on their merit ranking, with opportunities provided on a rotational basis.
The MBBS aspirant had alleged that after the first list was released, he was allotted his fourth preference when he expected a higher preference college.
“I was surprised to see my fourth preference was given to me. Students who scored lower marks than me got NEIGRIHMS while I was allotted RIMS Ranchi,” he had claimed.
It was after he approached the state youth wing of the Voice of the People Party did he get called for a second round of counselling.
He claimed that during the second counselling he opted for NEIGRIHMS as his first choice but was told no seats were available.
He further alleged that he then opted for GMCH Guwahati and RIMS Imphal but was given the same response that no seats were available. Relying on the information, he said he finally accepted a seat at Jorhat.
“After the list was released, I was shocked to find that two students who scored less than me got seats in RIMS Imphal where I was told there were no vacancies,” he alleged, questioning the transparency of the process.
Expressing disappointment over the counselling, the student said he decided to give up the allotted seat as he wanted a college commensurate with his merit and preferences.
