The Voice of the People Party (VPP) was pleased with the response of the public when it held an election campaign meeting here today ahead of the Lok Sabha election on April 19.
VPP candidate Ricky AJ Syngkon and party president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit led the campaign by highlighting the manifesto of the party, which aims at reforming the state.
There was visible enthusiasm from the people present, though how this will translate into votes come election day is a mystery. The new VPP only contested one of the five Assembly seats in Ri-Bhoi at last year’s state election, so it is difficult to make an educated guess as to their level of support based on past results.
Incidentally, Syngkon was the lone VPP candidate in Ri-Bhoi in the Assembly election and came fourth in the Umsning race, though he was still able to comfortably outperform candidates from more established parties, such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and People’s Democratic Front (PDF).
Today, Basaiawmoit and Syngkon called on the people to rally behind the VPP for the rejuvenation of Meghalaya and to combat disparities and corruption prevalent, they said, during the six-year tenure of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government.
Basaiawmoit insisted that the power to dismantle corruption and authoritarian governance lies with the common people and he urged them to withdraw support from such entities and instead elect individuals and parties committed to the genuine progress and welfare of the populace.
