The Voice of the People Party (VPP) showed today that its success in the Assembly election of 2023 and Parliamentary polls of 2024 was not a flash in the pan as the upstart, anti-establishment party electrified its supporters and the wider voting public by claiming an absolute majority in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) election, the results of which were announced today.
In the Jaintia Hills ADC polls, the party finished second with eight wins, behind only the National People’s Party (NPP); the latter claimed 13 seats and will require support (most likely from the three United Democratic Party (UDP) MDCs) to form the executive committee.
With more than half the seats, the VPP will be able to form the new KHADC executive committee on its own, without the need for any alliance partners. However, past administrations have been unstable as there is no anti-defection law in the ADCs that can stop MDCs from jumping ship.
Although successful enough in the JHADC, the NPP was hit hard in the KHADC, winning just four seats. Also suffering a huge blow was the Congress Party, which was completely wiped out. All parties, in fact, suffered in the face of the onslaught of the VPP, which carried 17 seats singlehandedly. The UDP obtained five seats, the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) one and two seats went to independents.
At the ISBT in Shillong, where the results of most seats were declared, the blue and white flags of the VPP adorned the area, with thousands of supporters gathering in celebration. The mood of the supporters of other parties was understandably sombre.
The VPP won in Mawlai, Jaiaw, Laitumkhrah-Malki, Nongthymmai, Nongkrem, Sohryngkham, Mylliem, Mawkynrew, Mawhati, Umsning, Umroi, Mawkhar-Pynthorumkhrah, Lyngkyrdem-Laitkroh, Mawphlang-Diengei, Pariong, Mawkyrwat and Nongstoin.
The UDP won the Shella, Sohra, Nongspung-Sohiong, Mairang-Nongkhlaw and Langrin seats, while the NPP secured Jirang, Nongpoh, Nongshken and Mawsynram. The HSPDP’s lone win was in Mawshynrut, while independents claimed Laban-Mawprem and Rambrai-Jyrngam.
The NPP ruled both the outgoing KHADC and JHADC and pitched for continuity and the supposed benefit of having the state government and district councils run by the same party. However, that message did not win over KHADC voters, who overwhelmingly opted for change and to give the VPP a decisive mandate to run the council.
The voters spared no one, not even the incumbent Chief Executive Member, Pyniaid Sing Syiem of the NPP, who chose this time to run from Nongthymmai instead of Sohryngkham but lost anyway.
It was a different story in the JHADC, where the NPP, led by Thombor Shiwat, was able to hold on to power. It was close for the incumbent CEM, though, as he beat his VPP rival by just 102 votes. The closest race of them all was in Nartiang-Wahiajer, which was won by Reformingson Lamare of the NPP by just seven votes.
Apart from the NPP’s 13 and VPP’s eight, the Congress managed to win three seats; the UDP three and two went to independents, including the veteran politician and former JHADC chief Moonlight Pariat, who took Jowai South by just over 500 votes.
The two district councils will have seven female MDCs – four in the KHADC and three in the JHADC. The four in the former are sitting NPP MDC Grace Mary Kharpuri from Nongshkhen, former MDC Rona Khymdeit of the MDC from Nongpoh, the VPP’s Aibandaplin L Nonglait from Mylliem and Deity Majaw of the VPP from Laitumkhrah-Malki. Sitting Umsning MDC Macdalyne S Mawlong of the NPP lost her seat this time.
The three women MDCs who were elected to the JHADC are the VPP’s Deivipaya T Tongper from Narpuh, Laiawanlamjinghun Khyriam from Mynso-Nongjngi and former MDC Violet Lyngdoh (an independent) from Rambrai-Khliehriat.
