Meghalaya ready for Lok Sabha polls

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 15: State’s chief electoral officer (CEO) BDR Tiwari on Friday said that Meghalaya is ready for the general elections to the Lok Sabha.

The state has two parliamentary seats – Shillong and Tura.

“All necessary preparations in respect to the logistics, manpower, training and all other requisite arrangements have already been taken up as per guidance and instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Meghalaya is ready for a very peaceful and more participatory Lok Sabha elections 2024,” Tiwari told reporters.

He informed that his office has done a lot of IEC activities and the SVEEP activities are also ongoing. “Now, we are more focusing on the polling station wise and we have also worked out an implementation plan and accordingly we are engaging the local institutions and all stakeholders including stakeholders, public, students,” he said.

Stating that the electoral literacy clubs are being activated, Tiwari said, “We have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the education department to focus more on the youth.”

“Traditional methods like village announcement systems, involvement of dorbars (are being taken up) so that people can come forward to cast their votes,” he said while adding the state is hopeful that the voting percentage this time will increase when compared to the 2019 elections.

There are over 22.70 lakh voters in Meghalaya.

On the law-and-order aspect, the CEO said that state machinery is fully geared up to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections.

“We are doing all necessary arrangements in respect to law and order. It is already taken from the police side and we are in touch with all district authorities and even with the bordering districts also.

Arrangement for the expenditure monitoring and all those things to make the election inducement free and to keep the law and order situation totally in control,” he said.

“And to conduct the peaceful election, the state machinery is fully geared up and we are focusing on the better arrangement of assured minimum facilities so that voters will get facilitated and they can cast their votes in a happy and healthy environment,” he added further.

Mawrie eyes Lok Sabha seat

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 4: BJP state President Ernest Mawrie has stated that he is ready to be the candidate of the party from the Shillong parliamentary seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state.

“As president of the party, if the party decides, I am ready to be the candidate of the party for the Lok Sabha election from the Shillong seat. I will not deny the decision of the party,” Mawrie told reporters today.

He however informed that the party is yet to discuss the candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in the state while reacting to reports that top leaders including M Kharkrang and HM Shangpliang are vying for the party ticket for the election.

The party has formed the Lok Sabha Prabhas and it will be headed by the state general secretary GC Nongbet as convener and there will be three co-conveners.

“Our main intention is to strengthen the party. The Lok Sabha Prabhas will go to each and every constituency to strengthen the organization,” he said.

Mawrie said it is too early now to identify the candidates since the party has one year to prepare adding “But we will look for winnable candidates as we are serious to win in both the seats – Shillong and Tura.”