The National People’s Party (NPP) which is ruling in the state received a drubbing at the hands of newbie Voice of the People Party (VPP).
During the election campaign, the VPP led by its president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit accused the NPP of indulging in corruption and working against the interest of the poor and the downtrodden.
The issues taken up by the VPP resonated with the voters.
The VPP president was also at loggerheads with the media and traditional institutions and to make matters worse one of the party’s legislators Adelbert Nongrum accused the party leadership of overlooking him while selecting candidates for Mawkhar-Pynthorumkhrah and Jaiaw MDC constituencies.
Analysts thought that by antagonizing these two institutions the party could lose votes, but the results show otherwise.
On several occasions during the campaign trail Basaiawmoit made it clear that he would not shy away from calling a spade a spade.
His assurance that the VPP would ensure good governance and clean politics also resonated with the public.
The VPP’s campaign focused on the introduction of Article 371 in Meghalaya.
However, the opposition parties claimed that the VPP wanted the abolition of the autonomous district councils even as some questioned why the party is even contesting the polls.
Basaiawmoit also accused other regional parties like the UDP and the HSPDP of clinging on to power by aligning with the NPP in the government.
The VPP which made its debut in the autonomous district council elections won a total of 25 seats in the KHADC and JHADC.
In the KHADC, the party won 17 seats and in JHADC won eight seats out of the 29 seats each.
However, the NPP managed to hold its own in the JHADC winning 13 seats.
According to the VPP, the party could have done better in the JHADC, but for muscle power and intimidation.
With the NPP and the VPP on the extreme side of the political spectrum in the state, it remains to be seen whether the government will have a working relationship with the VPP in the KHADC.
As the dust settles, it remains to be seen how the NPP, which managed to hold its own in the JHADC with 13 seats, will respond to the VPP’s surge.
One thing is certain – the people of Meghalaya have spoken, and their voices will shape the state’s future.
