VPP to urge ECI to keep close watch on Jaintia Hills ahead of 2028 Assembly polls

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 17, 2025

The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Wednesday announced its decision to soon meet the officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for requesting to keep a close watch on Jaintia Hills to ensure free and fair conduct of the upcoming Assembly elections in 2028.

Addressing a public meeting at Jowai, VPP chief and Nongkrem legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said, “We will soon meet the officials of the ECI to inform that there are districts in Meghalaya where people cannot vote freely so that ECI which will conduct the elections in 2028 will keep a close watch on Jaintia Hills.”

“We will fight and we will not allow people’s rights to vote to be taken away. We will ensure that they (those in power) cannot do like what they are doing in the JHADC polls,” he added.

The VPP has recently submitted a petition to the chief secretary DP Wahlang demanding for an independent inquiry into the alleged failure of the government to conduct a free and fair elections to the JHADC, held in February this year.

“We have submitted a complaint to the chief secretary, we have raised the issue in the state Assembly,” Basaiawmoit said.

The VPP had won only 8 of 29 seats in JHADC.

The VPP president alleged the ruling party of abusing its power by influencing the functioning of the traditional institutions and headmen in Jaintia Hills.

“I have maintained that had the election been conducted free and fair, the VPP would have led the EC in JHADC. We are speaking the truth. It is not that because we lose, we raise the issue but we speak because we know there has been use of muscle power. We want to eradicate this use of muscle power during elections. This meeting is the beginning of our journey to free people of Jaintia Hills from such misuse of power during elections and to vote freely,” Basaiawmoit declared.

Further, the Nongkrem legislator said that the VPP does not want any sympathy votes from the people.

“We want people to vote based on well informed decisions as we don’t depend on sympathy votes,” he stated.